#i do more elemental/cleansing/protection based stuff now

[misfitmagpie]

Let’s talk about The Magnus Protocol logo

Or what we can see of it from the Kickstarter exclusive t-shirt design anyway. Do note, I am going to dig up everything and anything I can think of, whether it may be relevant or not. I also want to note that I am not an expert on the things I am about to reference, I have a dabbling interest in many things, and enjoy looking stuff up. Now let’s take a closer look.

I have isolated the new logo from the old Magnus Institute logo, and put it against a black background for better viewing.

The Latin text on the lower banner "Non vacillabimus", google translate gives "We will not falter" as a result. Though I've seen different interpretations/translations floating around. So I'm sure someone more versed in Latin than I am can say more on the nuances here.

The laurel wreath, which are pretty straight forward. Associated with victory, honour, peace, and achievement. Common on coats of arms and crests. Laurel was associated with the god Apollo, and seen as a cleansing and protecting plant, it was the Romans who later adopted it as a symbol of triumph.

The triangle in the centre with the smaller triangles within reminds me of an inverted Sierpiński triangle, a fractal with ever smaller triangle iterations within.

The rule of this fractal is the repeated forming of triangles by taking the middle of each side and connecting them. However in the logo the triangles are not fully formed, and instead more shaped like arrows or diamonds.

In the centre of the triangle there seems to be a circle with shapes around it: triangles with crosses underneath.

They look like the alchemical symbol for sulphur/brimstone. In alchemy sulphur is seen as an active male element, something that brings about change. It is seen as having hot and dry properties, like the element fire, and is also associated with the sun.

On the left there appears to be a claw and fur, likely depicting a lion. This parallels the royal coat of arms of the UK.

On the right there is a split hoof and fur, likely of a classic depiction of a unicorn. This parallels the royal coat of arms of the UK.

The letters on top only have the A fully visible. However after inspecting it, it seems to be written in a typeface similar to Castellar Std Roman. Based on the shape of the letters of such a typeface, and the letter snippets we can see, we can guess that the half visible letter on the left is either an O or a Q, and the one on the right is either a R or a B (note how the middle arm curves slightly down, suggesting a bowl of a B or a tail of an R). Further between the half visible letter on the left, and the letter A there is enough space for another letter. So you have O/Q • _ • A • R/B.

On the top left corner of the centre there is a curved line that does not match the two exterior circles, so there's another round shape in there.

In the central circle we can make out the bottoms of two more shapes. While I can't immediately think of what the left one might be.

The right one gives us more to work with.

It could be another alchemical symbol, potentially of mercury (the counterpart and opposite of sulphur according to alchemical ideas), sulphur, or the symbol for Venus. Or less likely but potentially a compound symbol. Another possibility is a cross crosslet, or a Cross of Lorraine. Though given the amount of space from the centre of the circle, I'm not so sure about the cross crosslet. It’s worth nothing that it has pointed diamond ends, like the passion cross (meant to refer to Christ’s suffering on the cross as the points represent nails), which in heraldry is called Cross Aiguisé (French for “sharpened”) or Pointed Cross, or Cross Urdée (from ‘urde’, heraldic term for “having points”). Not sure what it could mean for The Magnus Protocol though.

There’s also 10 circles on each side of the triangle, resulting in 30 in total. Though not sure how this is relevant.

Not entirely sure about this triangle with the circles...

If anyone has any idea about what this might reference, I am definitely open to reading it, because I have spent hours searching and haven’t come up with anything that matches halfway decently. There’s also those weird little 3 dark lines on the right side intersecting with the other line. Not entirely sure what that is but it feels a little out of place as the centre of this image is pretty clear and sharp compared to the outer edges.

And lastly these little things appear 5 times on a side of the triangle, so if the pattern repeats itself, it should come to a total of 15. I don’t have much to say here. They remind me a little of carved pateras you can find on antique furniture or architecture. It looks a little like a pointed quatrefoil (4 leaf structure/shape). Could be a clue, could just be decorative.

What does this all mean put together? No idea honestly. But I wanted to share the things I have noticed so far.

#the magnus protocol #tmagp #TMA 2 #Alex said in the stream that there are clues that haven't been uncovered yet and I took that as a challenge #I can and will pick at everything #Anyway I hope someone out there finds this useful #It was interesting to try to look all of these little details up #Anyway if anyone has anything to contribute by all means do so!

[kasaneteto]

HAPPY FULL MOON!!!!!! it was last night but im posting about it today. at least i'm TRYING TO (the first time i tried it posted my unfinished draft instead! awesome!) i decided that i want to post more about my witchcraft stuff because i like to share ^_^

this virgo full moon i refreshed my money bowl! it may not look disheveled to you but.......i can tell. my good fortune altar needed to be cleaned like. 3 moon cycles ago.

this is the before pic so read the process & see the after below 👇

once i move the money bowl and other altar items the mess reveals itself.......this was probably pixie. i start by removing everything and cleaning it the way you would any surface, spray w all-purpose and wipe. then i replace the bigger stuff and cleanse the space with dragon's blood, a very good purification herb

once im done with that i remove all of the crystals & talismans from the money bowl and run them through the dragon's blood smoke to cleanse them as well. then i dump the herbs that are in the bowl and physically clean everything. here's what we've once it's all deconstructed:

everything circled in pink is a crystal, orange are talismans, and purple are manifestation elements. the money is pretty self-explanatory but the little folded up papers are notes on which i've written things i wish to manifest in my life. some of them are goals to work towards while others are just energies/things im trying to attract. talismans are as follows: rabbit and 4leaf clover charm (again self-explanatory), copper pieces (money made of copper), small pine cone (very powerful good fortune talisman, i have several pine cones on this altar), and a very hard to see ladybug charm (ladybugs are my personal good luck symbol :3)

so! now that everything is clean it's time to put the money bowl back together, and to do that we gotta start with the base

starting with three/four scoops of rice (a great neutral energy to carry the others) i first add a palmfull of spearmint for money & good fortune. with each herb i add, i first hold it in my hands and draw out the energy im asking for, thereby infusing it with my intention. before mixing the rice & mint together, i first spray it with some money mist (chamomile + cinnamon + mint boiled in water) and some luck-drawing oil (chamomile + mint + rosemary + some other shit idr tbh) to make it all stick together. then i put the chamomile in on top, for money & protection. lastly i add the bayleaf which is great for holding intention and manifesting a goal, which in this case is just for the bowl to do it's job!

once im here i just put all the crystals/talismans/manifestation elements back in so that they look nice! the big crystal in the center is orange calcite (GREAT for manifesting your dreams) and the ones along the top from right to left are amazonite, aventurine, agate, and good ol quartz. the coins are mostly foreign currency (some even out of print! i have a deutschmark :PPPP) but some of them are just random shit like chuck e cheese tokens. i have a cinemark arcade token from before covid killed the tokens in cinemark arcades lol

anyways that's pretty much it! once it's all reconstructed i just put it back where it belongs and burn some frankincense to fill up the newly cleansed space with lucky energy :) thanks for reading this all the way to the end! if you have questions feel free to shoot me an ask i love to talk about this stuff :) :) :) this wasn't the only thing i did for the full moon last night but that spell requires a dormancy period so you can expect a post about that in like 2 weeks

#craft

[incompetent-witch]

My Complaints About the Witchy Community #1

When I first started looking at the witchcraft community, on Reddit, Discord, YouTube and TikTok, I was having fun, even though I was more of an observer and didn’t ever post anything except for one or two things. It was all new to me, so obviously it was very fun at first.

It took me only a month to realize there are are lot of dangerous and problematic collective behaviors in this community as a whole. Cause there are a lot of issues. Like we all talk about cultural appropriation, and I would say that that’s the number one issue for sure, but this series of posts aren’t gonna be in order of significance, but rather issues I have with the over all witchy community as I think of it. That and I’d rather do a lot more research on cultural appropriation in general before chiming in. There are lots of people smarter than me who actively talk about it too.

Guys, I came from an extreme evangelical christian household, with a concentration on doomsday. And obviously, they’re highly republican. So I’m gonna tell you right now, I know fear mongering when I see it. I was born in it, drowned in it, and came out the other side. (Thank fuck)

Like, most every creator out there will tell you to literally cleanse and ward every two seconds. Like, I get it, it’s an easy thing to do so really good for beginners to get started with. But that’s not really what’s happening, is it? No, everyone is paranoid as fuck. And our contemporaries teach us to look over our shoulder every second. How many times have I seen or read about people doing return to senders, because they just decided that someone they know casted a curse on them, based off of what exactly? For feeling a little tired lately? C’mon guys.

This cattiness causes people to throw reversals and curses left and right, use words like “Psychic Vampire” when whoever they’re targeting are literally not. Even if they were, that’s a legitimate magical practice. Like guys, they’re fine. They’re not scary, they’re not dangerous. Stop making weird-ass assumptions about other practitioners. Honestly, stop making weird-ass assumptions about random, normal INNOCENT people in general.

Why am I so upset about this? Because we have created a community filled with paranoia and even at times hysteria. It’s conspiracy theory level stuff, (I.E, starseeds, which originates in rewriting history, which is the definition of conspiracy theories.) which has no business being in witchy circles.

We have curse wars and people screaming on planes because they have decided that someone sitting behind them “Is not real!!” (NPC’s conspiracy has entered the chat) 🙄

And don’t even get me started on the constant, ‘evil eye’. Yeah, it’s a genuine traditional concept that exists in different forms across many different cultures, and I’m not saying it’s wrong AT ALL. I’m saying that this aspect of most of our practices is being taught to beginners so much that they just end up seeing everything as scary. More experienced and Influential creators included. PEOPLE WERE LITERALLY SUSPICIOUS OF THEIR OWN FRIENDS AND FAMILY BECAUSE THE DIDN’T LIKE THE SMELL OF ‘PROTECTIVE’ INCENSE….

There is nothing wrong with having a few wards, an evil eye necklace, or cleansing frequently. I personally love running around my room with a stick of incense. It’s fun. I’m not attacking any one individual here. This is no-ones fault, BUT as a community, this is a problem that I have not seen anyone discussing in a way that connects all of these elements together.

People are always screaming “SPIRITUAL PSYCHOSIS!!!” When that is a made up term, and completely disregards the fact that we have MADE THEM THIS WAY! They’re freaking out because we taught them they should be. There’s so many layers to the whole ‘spiritual psychosis’ thing. It in and of itself is ablest. (I’ll make a separate post about it, cause I’ve needed to vent about it for a while now.)

And you know what it brings me back to?

Exorcisms. Evangelicals claiming you have a demon inside of you. Abusive religious parents calling everything demonic. Attacking their own children for doing normal things, or just assuming they did something unclean or whatever and punishing them anyways. I’ve seen a lot.

Good old fashioned Religious-Fear mongering. Because spirituality is still a religion. Don’t make the same mistakes as the Christian churches have done.

A lot of us came from Christianity, and because of our resentment we brought with us none of the good. We only carried with us all of the bad, incorporated it into our craft, wrote about it, preached about it, and ultimately taught others to do the same. And it REALLY shows.

The witch community is just afraid of rebranded demons. STOP LOOKING FOR SCARY THINGS IN THE DARK. THERE IS NOTHING THERE.

And homies, I’m not talking about those curses, complicated rituals, or any spell or ritual that deals in dangerous entities or concepts.

I’m talking about those who do this for good luck spells, glamour magic, focus spells, all the little safe spells that isn’t going to kill you. None of these things are gonna kill you. Some people do these extra cleansing and warding because they enjoy the ritual. Some people do it for peace of mind. I do it because It get’s me in the mood for spell-work, and I find it relaxing.

Nope, I’m specifically talking about the people who do it out of fear from every little inconvenience. Which is just a symptom of a bigger problem.

If you’re gonna do a video, write a post, or a book that includes teaching a lot of cleansing, warding, banishing and reversals, it NEEDS to include clarification that you don’t have to do it. Remind people that they’re SAFE.

Like, seeing all of this, with no one addressing it… I almost left because the similarities between christianity and the state of occult based spirituality was uncanny. And that was scary.

Well, someone had to say it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna burn myself on the stake.

#witchcraft #Incompetent-witch vents about her own community #paranoia #fear mongering #tw; abuse

[beardedhandstoadshark]

Stuff I noticed genshin impact has in common with (mostly) breath of the wild, unsorted and in varying degrees of /srs and /j

Cell-shaded open world with burnable grass (mind you dendro only came out like 2 days ago while this was a thing since the very beginning)

Starting with a shot from a cliff overlooking the world and focusing on the big building in the distance (though that might be a general open world trope? I‘m not sure)

The hilichurl huts originally looked like the stone skulls bokoblins reside in

Hilichurls in general pretty much just being bokoblins minus the oni-based color coding (but + screwed up lore, wth hoyo)

Random instances of coming across NPC’s who have to be saved from monsters (something that, like most similarities, primarily applies to Mondstadt)

You can’t pet the dogs aside from feeding them but they still adorably look at you with their hopeful gaze, showering you with love you know you can never give back ;-;

Why fishing rod when jump in good for catch too

Ancient but advanced civilization that became ruined and forgotten prior to the events of the game due to a calamity, but you still find remnants of, also the mc is somehow connected to it but barely remembers anything aside from a few flashbacks

Protag and the other short blonde with super special powers get separated by the catastrophic event that made the world the way it currently is, protag‘s goal is to find them again and travels though the whole world to do so

Protag and the other short blonde with super special powers get completely screwed over by a deity (you choose if it’s Demise or Hylia seriously I know Zelda not awakening her powers early enough had nothing to do with Hylia but she could at least talk to the girl smh)

Giant ancient robot with a single glowing eye from said ruined civilization roaming the lands and exclusively targeting people to kill (also, ruin guards originally aimed at you with a beam before shooting lasers)

The ancient lost civilization has its own even more ancient lost civilization

Floating elemental wizard monster with a wand that can teleport around and has way too much fun messing with you (and Abyss mages sound similar to wizzrobes too)

The world may or may not be stuck in some sort of time loop

Balloon-like enemy that hides in the ground and pretends to be a plant only to jump out and attack you

Round elemental enemy slime that uses its own element as a semi-shield and basically just attacks by jumping at you (fire/water/ice/electro slimes = red/blue/light blue/green chu) yea I got nothing for anemo slimes

Blue dragon that used to be chill but got corrupted by weird poison goo blood from the monsters, said poison goo leaving the dragon discolored, your goal being to cleanse it from them

Snowy mountain area near start point where everything is super cold and you can practically only survive by lighting fires, drinkeating spicy soup, or eating all your dishes to keep the hp up

Look at Noelle‘s shield, now at Daruk‘s protection, now back to Noelle‘s shield. Her design themes are maid- knight - roses, why does it look like that

Cooking makes you indestructible and is (hilariously) usable mid-fight. Also mc is a cooking god for no reason

They tweaked the cooking animation by the time it launched but the beta one gave off major 2D botw cooking vibes

Monsters wanna kill you but so does the evil organisation from another country with pretty extreme weather, except half of them are kinda dorky when they’re not trying to murder you

The battle music is fire

Mineral that glows turquoise (granted it’s different shades but still-), is considered pretty rare, and is said to have obtained their glow though influences from the world (elements/souls)

Ghosts are real and sometimes they glow blue. The same shade of blue as the spooky glow mineral, no less

The ancient glowy eye robots drop their core as loot (they look a bit similar too)

Praying to statues of deities = upgrading your stamina by giving them enough of a certain collectible

Tiny cute magical wood forest creatures that can‘t be seen by most people who can be randomly found across the land and you get stuff for doing their mini quests

Said forest creatures living in a village in their magical forest that usually can’t be accessed to begin with because magic prevents that (granted the village gives off more Kokiri vibes than Korok but they’re just evolved kokiri anyways so-)

The original animation for climbing was pretty much just Link‘s

Land southwest of the starting area has a (seemingly) bottomless hole that leads into the abyss, literally, in both cases

Lamp grass = Blue nightshade, they look the same and even glow blue at night

Glaze lily = silent princess, white-blue lilies from ancient times that became incredibly rare over time and are now considered practically extinct in canon (but are pretty easy to find in-game)

Ancient structures that have been inaccessible and glowing in warm colors for centuries only turn blue though activation by the protag; they also function as teleport points

ancient structures incorporating star constellations

Ancient instrument used throughout the world to play Magic Songs learned across the land that each interact with designated objects/places in different ways; usually needing around 5-8 notes to play

Playable short king used to be part of a group of 5 with colorcoded powers but all his friends died a long time ago because of evil stuff and he‘s the only survivor ok this one‘s obviously not serious lmao

It ain’t botw but. Small travel companion who does all the talking to fill up the void by the gameplay- silent protag (genshin give Traveler a voice more often smh) and is also probably linked to the major story in some way (really tho, except for Navi every single companion has major ties to the plot in some way). Also I‘m pretty sure Paimon gets called a fairy at least once at one point?

More stuff probably

Interestingly enough, the most noticeably direct similarities can be found in Mondstadt (and Liyue) , aka the region that‘s been here since the very start of the game, and more importantly, before the game was launched.

TLDR it’s doing it’s own thing now for the most part but there’s no way this game didn’t start off "heavily influenced“ at the beginning lol

#genshin impact #breath of the wild #legend of zelda #tbf most of this is probably a bit far fetched but yknow #it’s not supposed to be taken seriously anyways XD #so please don’t

[between-two-fandoms]

Me: I practice witchcraft

Also Me: *opens window while I work in my BoS* Witchcraft

#witchcraft #wiccan #book of shadows #pagan #i cant figure out which one i identify as #so i do both practices #fight me #but dont pls im a baby witch #meme #why #im so bored #cleansing magick #you asked for it so now your getting it #prepare for an onslaught of witchy content #witch #is gender neutral #im a demisexual witch and i love myself #i havent done mirror magick yet #but i want to #i do more elemental/cleansing/protection based stuff now #i dont want to bite off more than i can chew #ive been practicing for a year and i love it #practicing witch #ask me questions about it if you want #molly roberts is my queen #art/color magick

[samwisethewitch]

Norse Pagan “Holy Water”

Note: This is something I’ve come up with by combining my American folk magic practice with Heathen cosmology and prayer. While some modern Heathen magic is based on spells found in historic sources, that’s not what this is. This is 100% modern and 100% of my own creation.

As someone who practices Southern/Appalachian folk magic but is not Christian, I sometimes have to get creative when replacing the Christian elements in my rituals and spells. Holy water is one of the elements that has had me stumped for a while.

In a Christian context, holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest or other member of the clergy. Holy water is a mainstay in Catholic churches, but it’s made its way into several American magical traditions, even those that are more Protestant-leaning. Holy water has a wide variety of magical uses, from purification to healing to protection from enemies.

This presents a problem for pagan witches, because many of us don’t feel comfortable using Christian elements in our practices. Personally, I feel that using water blessed by someone else is less personal and thus less powerful than using water that I have blessed for myself.

I’ve seen other witches substitute moon water, sun water, crystal water, or just water that has been charged with their positive intentions. I think all of these are great ideas, but I like the idea of using water that has an explicit connection to my religious beliefs and the gods I worship.

I got this idea after we had a thunderstorm followed by a freeze. An empty flower pot had filled with water from the storm, then frozen over. I realized that this water was now connected to some seriously powerful Heathen forces — thunderstorms, which are associated not only with Thor but with Odin and, to a lesser extent, Freyr, and ice, which is one of the two primordial forces in Heathen cosmology. I decided to save some of the water in a jar and add the other Heathen primordial force, fire.

My method for infusing the water with fire energy is based on the process my partner uses to make khernips (Hellenic holy water) in his Religio Romana practice.

This stuff has some powerful vibes, so I thought I’d share for any other Heathens who might want to try!

You will need:

Water collected during a thunderstorm

A way to freeze your water

Matches or a lighter

*optional* Sacred wood of your choice (I used redcedar, which is native to my area and which I find to be strongly cleansing and protective.)

*optional* a very small amount of bleach — 1/4 tsp for every gallon of water, or 4 drops per quart.

Collect rainwater during a thunderstorm. If you want, add a tiny bit of bleach to the water to keep it from growing bacteria or algae. (Note: Even if you add bleach, I still don’t recommend ingesting this water.)

Freyr is associated with rain, as well as with sunshine. Thor is, of course, the god of thunder and lightning, but Odin also has associations with thunderstorms through some his kennings: Þundr (“Thunderer,” from Gylfaginning, Hávamál, and others), Viðrir (“Stormer,” from Gylfaginning, Lokasenna, and others), and Hveðrungr (possibly “Weather-maker,” from Óðins nǫfn). You may choose to invoke any or all of these gods in your blessing of the water.

Speaking of blessing, the one I would use is: “I honor the spirits of this water. I honor and thank the spirits of rain and the spirits of thunder who have blessed this water. I honor and praise Thor, Odin, and Freyr, who have touched this water with their power.”

If this blessing doesn’t quite work for you, feel free to use a different one!

Now, you need to freeze your water. Ideally, you could simply leave it outside overnight and let it freeze naturally. If it is too warm to do this, place it in a freezer indoors. Just be careful — remember that water expands when it freezes, and you don’t want to shatter your container!

Once your water has frozen, speak this blessing or a similar one over it: “I honor and thank the spirits of ice who have blessed this water. Ice of Niflheim, primordial power, bless this water.”

Now, thaw out your water. Once the water is room-temperature, it’s time to add the energy of fire. If you are using sacred wood, set the tip of the wood on fire, then quickly douse the flame by dipping it in the water. If not using sacred wood, simply light a match and then douse it in the water.

Follow this up with this blessing or a similar one: “I honor and thank the spirits of fire who have blessed this water. Fire of Múspellheim, primordial power, bless this water.”

You now have water that has been blessed by the storm gods and by the two primordial elements. You can use this water in the same ways Christian witches use Christian holy water. I find it especially useful for purifying a person, object, or space.

#heathenry #heathen #inclusive heathenry #norse pagan #norse paganism #american heathenry #folk magic #southern folk magic #heathen witch #norse witch #seidr #witchblr #witch #witchy #kitchen witch #mine #my spells #odin #thor #freyr

[fieldbears]

It seems like you know a lot about skin care. I'm 28 now and honestly dont really bother with it (except to take off make up and using sunscreen). I'm 28 now and feel like my skin's fine but wonder if there's stuff it actually needs. With skincare being such a huge industry it's hard to understand what ingredients skin actually needs bc I feel companies (& influencers) try to sell you a lot of shit you don't need and maybe even makes your skin worse. Any tips where to start? Thank u

Hey friend! I love helping newbies. I absolutely do have tips. And a two-product two-step regimen. You can get it for under $40 and it should last you 6 months or more.

First off, there is ABSOLUTELY a ton of shit you don’t need. That is a good instinct. You can always pay more for a product and you can always add more steps to your routine, but that doesn’t mean that you’re actually getting more out of it. The first thing you should ask yourself is, what do you want out of your skincare?

SUNSCREEN: For someone who isn’t sure what they want or what they should do, my first question is how much time you spend in the sun. The one thing you can do to really permanently damage your skin is to spend a lot of time in the sun without any sunscreen. Basically: blah blah rays of sun blah blah destroys the collagen, aka squishy bouncy bonds between cells, blah blah, destroyed collagen means the skin sags more, meaning wrinkles.

(It is also, I hope I don’t need to say, dangerous for Cancer Reasons to get a ton of non-screened sun exposure. But I’m assuming that’s a given here.)

Like I said in the last post, southeast Asian sunscreen options are a huge improvement on what you find on the shelves here in the States because they have more stringent laws on what chemicals are okay to put in a product. But if you stick with what you can grab at CVS, that’s fine too - just make sure you google the brand and type and make sure the SPF is for real. (Some products marketed at, say, SPF 45 are actually proven to only be SPF 15. It’s like the olive oil bullshit all over again!)

There are also a lot of moisturizers available with SPF protection in them.

WHICH LEADS ME TO MY AMAZING TWO-STEP SYSTEMMMMM...

CLEANSE AND MOISTURIZE: There are seven-step processes out there, but what you really need to start with, and will get a ton out of if you aren’t doing anything right now, is cleansing and moisturizing.

The science explanation for doing this: blah blah your skin generates oils from your pores in order to create a protective barrier between your flesh and the elements, but said oils can get gunky once they’ve accumulated all the particulates from the air, and there can even be backups and miscommunications and over-oilage if you have dead skin cells sitting on top of your new skin, or stuff gets all the way into your pores, blocking the system, causing breakouts. So skincare is about removing everything on top of your skin, maybe adding fancy stuff in the middle, but absolutely creating a new barrier for your skin at the end, to replace the one you took off. I liken it to varnish on a painting - it’s meant to sit on top, collect all the dust, and get removed and replaced over time. But don’t just wash your face every 20-80 years. The metaphor only goes so far. Anyway.

Here is how to get into my absolutely bare minimum regimen:

PICK A CLEANSER: If you wear/remove makeup a lot, and/or have a very oily complexion, pick an oil-based cleanser. Oil-based means it’s good at removing makeuppy things  and your natural oil. Otherwise, pick a water-based cleanser. CeraVe cleansers are available at Walgreens and they are affordable. It is available, affordable, clinically gentle on various skin types, and by god, it does indeed wash all the shit off your face.I have tried a lot of expensive water-based cleansers and I still come back to this one. That $16 pump bottle will last you a long time, too.

PICK A MOISTURIZER:  I’m back on my CeraVe shit here because if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to pick, I’m gonna push you to the easy-to-pay-for, easy-to-find product that won’t make you break out. And it’s got SPF! If you want to get fancier, check out some options here. I currently use Laneige moisturizers, which are at Sephora and... other places. Idk. (And to repeat my last post: if you can’t stand having things sitting on your skin, even a moisturizer that will absorb over a minute or so, Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer essentially feels like water.)

SHOWER STEP: You have both your products. Now. Put your cleanser in your shower. When you shower, use it to wash your face. In the shower, you can splash and splash to your heart’s content. Get your neck, your cleavage, any extra places you feel have an oiliness problem. But remember them for later, because you want to moisturize all spots you cleansed. (Also, if you’ve been using soap or anything else to wash your face up until now... stop that. Cleanser is much better.)

AFTER SHOWER STEP: Dry off and pat on that moisturizer. Make sure you apply it with clean hands. Rub it in gently and make sure all cleansed areas are now moisturized.

That’s it.

No, really, that’s my advice for beginners. Two products, one done in the shower. You have to do them in order. That’s it.

If you have the spoons to do this routine twice a day, around when you get up and right before bed, you’ll get even better results. But if you’re just starting out and get anxious about new routines, don’t sweat it. Your face’s cells turn over every 30 days or so, so if you keep this up every day for about two weeks, you’ll start seeing improvements by then.

Bonus newb tips:

About once a week, use a COMPLETELY CLEAN terrycloth washcloth to apply your cleanser. Get your (gentle) scrub on. Mechanical exfoliation basically means you’re using a brush, a cloth, something physical to remove everything from your face, including things like dead skin, which gentle cleansing may not have gotten. Doing it too often isn’t helpful, as you can only build up so much stuff to remove over time, and scrubbing too hard or too frequently can lead to frightening your skin, causing redness. So once a week is likely plenty. If you like the battery-operated brushes, go for it, but they cost way more than the clean washcloth.

You will see options for chemical exfoliation too. If you identify as a newb, I don’t recommend this. Chemical exfoliations aren’t bad per se, but are one of the few skincare things that can be done wrong, and in a way that can really upset your skin. Washcloth!

Are you replacing your pillowcases on a regular basis? I try to do once a week but I probably end up with closer to two weeks. Nobody’s perfect. But remembering to do this is a very easy way to help your skin out.

If you get your cleanse-and-moisturize routine down pat, 2x a day, and you want the next step, look into toners. They help your skin absorb the moisturizer more efficiently... science reasons. The toner goes on before the moisturizer, but again, your skin should be dry before you start.

There are ampoules, essences, treatments, and other fancy names for... very specific shit. Basically, if you have a specific problem, especially in a specific area of your face, chances are there is a specific tiny expensive bottle you can integrate into the middle of your routine to help with that. But there is a lot of snake oil out there and I don’t want anybody buying these solutions if they aren’t already managing the daily wash-and-protect, because you’d be surprised how many things that can fix.

If you have problems with breakouts or other bad reactions to some skin products, do your best to only introduce one new product at a time. That way if you start having a reaction, you don’t have to guess what caused it.

No matter what is or isn’t going on with your skin, your worth is not affected one iota. Whether I have three pimples and incredible redness around my cheekbone and nose area, making me look like a character mug of a drunken sailor, or whether or my skin is the cool, poreless ivory of Grecian marble, I am still the exact same perfect bitch. And so are you.

#Anonymous #skincare

[aquarianwisp]

Cleansing, blessing, and protection basics

If you are new to witchcraft this guide is for you, but even if you are seasoned in the craft I still think it’s a really good idea to read other witches posts for new ideas and inspiration!~ Cleansing is such an important practice for anyone, not just witches. It is very commonly seen in many different cultures and religions worldwide and is practised in many different ways depending on the tools being used. Cleansing can be done with the help of deities or spirits, or it can be done in a secular way as well with reliance on your own energy or tools. Some people have different beliefs around when cleansing should be done and what rituals should be done at different times of the year. My path is one that works with the natural flows of energy around me, and I call upon deities and spirits to help me in my workings. I cleanse as I feel it is needed, and during the new moon period as well. However, you can adjust your practices to suit your own path and what makes you feel happiest.

Reasons to cleanse and when it should be done: Cleansing is so important for many reasons. It gets rid of heavy emotional energy, it prevents us from being influenced by unwanted energies, it gets rid of negative entities, and it helps to protect us in some cases, depending on what you are doing. You might want to cleanse when there has been a fight, or when an activity has been repeated in an area (like stress in a workplace) and a residue of the emotions felt while doing that activity has been left.  Another time to cleanse would be after someone has been sick. It is best to wait until the person has become well again because if you cleanse while they are resting in their sick room and you use smoke you may make them feel more unwell. Once they are better again, it is good to go into the room they were resting in and give it a good cleanse to banish evil spirits and fumigate. Overall though, it is good to give things a cleanse even if nothing negative has happened. Spiritual people don’t always feel wonderful and magical all the time, and we aren’t immune to creating bad energy. Sometimes you come home and you’ve had a bad day, or you might just be tired, or you feel angry, stressed, etc. Maybe you’ve had a party and all your friends left their energy in your house. Even if nothing happened, this everyday stuff just builds up and needs to be removed every now and then. This is why it’s often good to set a regular cleansing time, such as the monthly new moon as well. Things that can be cleansed Pretty much anything can be cleansed. Commonly though, people cleanse their homes, their bodies, other people, objects, spiritual tools, and charms. There is really no end to what can be cleansed, and there is no end to what can pick up negative energy. Even your phone could pick up negative energy, and you then carry that around everywhere and touch it non-stop, allowing it to affect you. Tarot cards and other divination tools I would actually suggest to cleanse more often than other tools because they tend to pick up negative energies faster.  What you can use to cleanse Smoke- This is one of the most common methods for cleansing, and you can use bundles of dried herbs, resins, or incenses to do this. You just need to light them up and waft the smoke around whatever is being cleansed. Cleaning your house- Clutter, dirt, mould, and mess attract bad energy that likes to hang in your laundry pile. Cleaning also helps us feel a lot less stressed, making room inside of you to experience healing energies. Don’t forget that mould and other ugly things can make you sick and affect your mental health as well, so it is very important to keep yourself and your home clean. Water- In some cultures water is considered to be very sacred and purifying, and is utilized by taking cleansing baths and showers, washing the body or objects that are being cleansed, floor washes, and just by sprinkling. Be careful with this one though, because if you do not dry some surfaces they may become mouldy. Some types of crystals and natural materials like bones and wood don’t really like water and may become damaged from it. It is better to cleanse these with salt or smoke. Fire- Again, in some cultures, fire is considered very sacred and holy. You do not need to burn your house down to achieve this. Be careful with this one, because you do not want to become a crispy sausage. But fire can be represented in smoke cleansing, or it can be used to banish things by burning something that represents what it is that you wish to get rid of. I often find that speaking or praying over a flame and asking help from fire to remove something will result in massive energetic changes- especially long term. Please ensure to never leave a fire unattended- this is basic common sense but you’d be surprised how many people don’t follow this!  Air- A cool breeze can work wonders to clear energy! It’s so nice to open your windows and doors and let the cool air flow through the home.  Salt- We all know salt preserves things from bacteria and other nasties, but it also has a very electrical charge almost, it carries a lot of powerful energy. So it is really good for cleansing, especially when entities are around. I like to keep some by my bed to keep entities away from me while sleeping and to prevent bad dreams. Sound- Sound is really powerful, especially because we know that sound carries vibrations and can carry them far. Bells, singing bowls, drums, your voice, clapping, youtube healing frequency videos, chanting, and prayer are all really amazing at cleansing things. Heck, even pots and pans can be bashed together to clear entities. I also sometimes feel like spirits are sleeping, so I usually wake them up with gentle bells. Mists and floor washes- Again, water here, but usually, this is a good option if you can’t burn things. Beware again though, that you don’t leave things wet otherwise they can grow mould and as I said before, some types of crystals and natural materials like bones and wood don’t really like water. Usually, though, these are just water mixed with something such as essential oils, herbs, crystals or salt etc, which have been chosen to imbue the water with a certain element or property. These are then spritzed with a spray bottle around or on whatever you are cleansing. Floor washes can be mopped or thrown over the floor. Oils, alcohols, floral waters, and vinegar- Essential oils such as peppermint, myrrh, frankincense, eucalyptus, and myrtle are really good for cleansing things, especially if you cannot use smoke again. Diffusing essential oils is also a very common practice outside of the spiritual community so this might be a good option if you aren’t able to be so open about your path.  Alcohols such as Florida water are often used in cleansing, but keep in mind that some people consider Florida water to belong to closed cultures. Some people, however, disagree with this. But, you can always make your own floral waters for cleansing or you can buy them from essential oil manufacturers as a byproduct of essential oil production. You do not need to use Florida water if you are concerned about appropriation here. Floral waters are often sold by essential oil wholesalers, as they are usually sold to cosmetic manufacturers for use in moisturizers and balms. You can buy rose water or orange blossom water from Middle Eastern supermarkets, or if you are lucky enough they might be available in your local supermarket as well. Vinegar is really good to cleanse and also for cleaning. You can mix lemon and tea tree essential oil into vinegar, and these together are really good for cleaning and removing unwanted energy around the home. Vinegar is also good for banishments.  Some basic and good ways to cleanse a home: When cleansing a home, pay attention not only to the rooms but especially to the doors, windows and any mirrors. A lot of things are happening energetically in those spaces and they are usually hot spots for activity. Using salt and water: To cleanse a home with these, sprinkle water around the walls, and place a small sprinkle of salt in each corner of every room. You can also place salt along the front of a door, or along a windowsill. Sometimes though, salt can damage paint so don’t leave it on painted surfaces for too long. You can also paint protective symbols over the door and window frames with the water. Using smoke from herbs, resins or incense: To cleanse using these, take the smoke around to each room and move it in an anticlockwise circle three times. Also make sure to waft a lot of smoke around doors, windows and mirrors.  Sound and prayer: You can go around each room with instruments, or you can sing over or speak over your home to cleanse it. If you choose to pray, make sure to state what needs to be removed, and what will happen within that space instead. Eg. “May all anger, hurt, stress, and any other unwanted energies leave this space. May this room be safe, still, and peaceful, and may we experience joy, laughter and happiness in this room.” How do I know if there are entities in the room? If you are practised enough in sensing energies you will know straight away. However, if you are a beginner please keep in mind that your fear of entities alone can mean that you might believe there is an entity in your home even when there isn’t, or your fear might even attract one. Sometimes we can also fall prey to the power of influential words, and a psychic or someone else who senses energies might claim that you have a spirit in your home and then you will start seeing signs for its existence even if nothing is there. Even if the psychic didn’t pick up on a negative entity, but just said the word “spirit”, many people have different interpretations for this word based on religious beliefs, influence from movies and pop culture, etc. You may have misunderstood. In fact, there are a lot of spirits around us all the time, ancestral spirits, household spirits, plant and animal spirits- and not all of them mean harm. But some people interpret the word spirit to instantly mean the worst. Mould can also affect your mental health and if it has made you unwell enough it can make you hallucinate and see entities or experience haunting activity. Check for things like this before worrying and stressing yourself unnecessarily. If you had an entity that meant harm, you would just know. And until you experience the sense of “just knowing” this kind of thing, you probably will not understand what I mean here.  Energy flowering and blessings Once you have cleansed a space and depending on what you used to cleanse, the space or object might feel like a blank canvas. You need to do what is called energy flowering or charging to reconfigure the energy of a space or item. Energy flowering is usually done with floral waters, resins, crystals, or incense sticks. Bundles of herbs are used mostly for cleansing, but depending on the herb they can be used for flowering as well. But in my personal opinion herb bundles are best for cleansing only. Salt or soil can also be used for this- as I said before salt seems to carry a very electrical feeling energy, and soil from the earth can also be used to recharge objects. Resins are really good for raising vibrations and creating healing and beautiful emotional energies.  To recharge with incenses or resins, waft the energy around the home but in clockwise circles and if possible use your dominant hand. You can also hold objects like tarot cards or crystals in the smoke or you can waft the smoke towards yourself or someone else. Cinnamon, sandal, frankincense, myrrh, and dragons blood are really good for this purpose.  To recharge with floral waters, you can wash objects in them, or you can sprinkle them around the walls, doors, and windows. Altar spaces and deity images usually really like this type of cleansing. To recharge objects with soil, bury them until they feel ready. Make sure to leave yourself a marker on the ground so you know where they are buried. If you live in an apartment, you can definitely bury things in a pot of soil. If you cannot get soil you can also leave objects on a bed of salt for as long as needed. To recharge using crystals, place the crystal you want to use over the object or within the space and leave it for as long as needed. Clear quartz is a good energy conductor and will bring intense universal energies down. Copper is also really good for conducting energy, so if you have any copper items they can help recharge an item or space as well. Blessings A blessing ritual is a really lovely way to give a room, a person, or an object your goodwill, and also to call down the highest good upon something. You can make a charm to bless someone, you can pray or speak over someone or something, or you can also anoint objects, places, or people with sacred oils. This is also where some fun stuff like glitter, colourful threads, beads and other cool stuff can work its way into your magic. A basic blessing ritual for a person White, pink, and green candles Rose water Salt Rice Anointing oil Honeysuckle incense A bowl of water, soap and a towel.

Create a small mixture of salt, rice, and your anointing oil. Keep some of these ingredients separate and to the side. Wash the hands of the person you are blessing with the rose water, and rub the salt, rice, and oil mixture into their hands gently. They can rest their hands for a bit until the ritual is done. Sprinkle their head with the rose water, and offer rice and salt to them in the direction of their mouth (they don’t have to eat it so don’t shove it in their mouth lol) and also to the each side of their temples and the top of their head (you just need to hold it in your hand and point it in the directions listed above). Waft the incense around them three times clockwise, and offer the candles to them by moving them in a clockwise circle three times as well around the person. As you are doing this you can say out loud or in your heart “May you be well, may you be protected, and may you be free from suffering.” Think of everything good that you wish for this person as you are doing this ritual.  Anoint their forehead at the hairline with the oil. You can then offer them the soap, water and towel for them to clean their hands once all this is done. The ritual is complete! Making charms for blessing and protection You can make charm bags and fill them with all sorts of fun stuff like colourful glitters, sequins, crytals, herbs, meaningful items, images of deities, or handwritten prayers or sigils. Colourful glitters are cool because glitter is fabulous, and all the colours have meanings associated with them so you can pick the colours based on what you want to achieve. You can also make yourself some jewellery, and if you want to you could use religious icons or images in your jewellery, or choose colourful beads that represent certain ideas, archetypes, or deities.  Other charms can also be candles or herbs for example. You could hang dried herbs around the home, or you can anoint a candle with an oil of choice and it will act as a charm. You can also anoint jewellery with oils. Making a charm from jewellery Select a piece of jewellery. It is better if it is made of something like gold or silver, as fashion jewellery can become damaged from oils of whatever you might use. Beadwork should be fine. You can make this into a ritual if you like, or you can keep it simple. Personally, I like to keep things simple when it comes to making charms, but each to their own. You can remix this however you like to suit your needs.  Before you start, I believe it is respectful to ask the object if it wants to become a charm. Even inanimate objects contain the spirit of the universe or contain a consciousness. You cannot force it to serve you, so please ask respectfully if it is happy to help you. You will sense the answer with your intuition, or you might experience other phenomena such as synchronicities, seeing or sensing colours or energy, or hearing something. Just listen patiently. If it says yes, wash the object in water to purify it and leave it on a bed of salt for a hot minute. Light some candles with the colour that corresponds to your intention, and burns some incense. Anoint the charm in a blessing oil, and ask it to carry this intent for you. You can pray over it or speak over it what you intend for this charm. Give the offerings of candles and incense to the charm and thank it for helping you. It is respectful to bow before the object while giving it thanks.

It is now ready to wear, but you might want to clean it off. I can’t imagine jewellery with caked-on salt looks too nice. Creating protective charms for the home Religious iconography near doorways is a really good option if you are able to openly display these. Some cultures make protective charms from certain objects like horseshoes, chilli peppers, bells, lemons, sigils, or similar items from temples and shrines. In each case, it is again respectful to ask the object if it wants to help you.  You can do a similar ritual to the above, or you can make your own charms for the house. Basil charm to call down holy fire Basil is a herb I use in spiritual healing because I find it often has a very fiery energy that can really intensely open up and allow universal energy to flow. It is very simple to make, all you need to do is dry a bunch of basil. Ask if it is happy to serve as a charm for the home. If it says yes you can hang it in the home up high above the head, and preferably in the main room such as a lounge room so that everyone can be influenced.

Bay leaf doorway charm Sew some dried bay leaves together in a chain, big enough to fit the measurements of the door frame you wish to place it over. Once the length of the chain is big enough for the door, ask the object if it wants to serve you. If the answer is yes, hang it above your door frame. This will protect evil spirits from entering the home and will bring luck and abundance to those inside.  Jar of holy salts for the bedside Combine sea salt in a jar with oils such as peppermint, frankincense, orange and lavender. You can mix in some of the same dried herbs if you like as well. Ask the object if it wishes to serve you, and if yes place it by the bed. This is a protective charm that will ensure a peaceful sleep without being bothered by bad dreams, negative entities, or anything else that you want to keep away. I had a friend who had a terrifying experience of having his name yelled at him by some sort of spirit just as he sat down to sleep. This charm has helped him feel calm and protected and he has not experienced the issue since.

Maintaining charms Charms do not want to be forgotten. They can often become spiritually blank or deadened and will be unable to continue their purpose if they are not cared for. They need love, they are a consciousness that wishes for its own happiness. One of the best ways to keep charms happy I find is to talk to them and build a relationship with them. In the morning when I do my regular incense burning and candle lighting I also give them offerings as well, by going around the house and waving the incense and candles towards them. I might also re-anoint them when needed. I find that if the object is respected as being holy and as being part of the family it will continue to happily serve the home. Don’t forget this step to give your charms love and treat them as if they are alive with consciousness!  ♥ Building a relationship with the spirits of the home and land for protection Just as charms contain a consciousness, so do all inanimate and animate objects in the home and on the land which your home resides. It is good to honour these spirits and energies with offerings, and they can, in turn, be called upon to protect the home. I always leave incense burning in a safe place outside as an offering to the spirits of the land and home, and as I do so I ask for their protection upon the home. Over time, you will be able to sense their energies more and they will begin to surround you and protect you. You do not need to do much here except allow time and routine to do the work for you. 

#witchcraft #spellwork #spells #witch #spirituality #animism #cleansing #protection #blessing #babywitch #baby witch

[a-witch-that-wanders]

Basics #1 - Moon Water

My First Encounter: 

I had just start practicing in 2013 and I came out of the broom closet to a friend. Much to my delight, they also practiced witchcraft, in the form of an eclectic mix of Santeria, Catholicism, and Indigenous traditions. We mixed the moon water they had brought in a spray bottle with an herbal and oil based elixir called “The Piss of 7 Goats” (Yes, really). We smoke cleansed each other with white sage and dragon’s blood, then sprayed the potion in all four corners of every room to protect our home from a nasty spirit that was following a roommate.  How-To / FAQ’s 🌙  Moon water is typically made by adding any type of water to a sealable, translucent container -- such as a bottle or jar -- setting your intentions, and putting it out in the light of a full moon. Last time I made moon water, I put tap water in a mason jar, told it to “Keep the moon”, and set it outside on my patio. You can make your ritual as simple or lavish as you like. Some write goals down and put them under the jar. Some say an incantation that they’ve written or found in a book / online. It’s YOUR craft, do what works best for you, even though it may take a while to figure out what that is.  🌙 Containers and Storage: Glass jars / bottles are generally the go-to, but it doesn’t HAVE to be. I’ve heard of people using a silver bowl or even just whatever’s handy. However, most witches cover it in some way to keep bugs out. Plastic is okay as long as it is the right kind:  The wrong plastic can leak chemicals. Most witches agree that for the most powerful results, glass is best, with the direct light argument in mind. I would mostly agree, but as long as your intention is to absorb the moon, it will still receive that energy no matter what. If you are uncertain, enchant your container specifically to absorb the moon prior to use. Some will also argue that you cannot store it anywhere in open light once it is charged with the specific moon phase because to you will contaminate it with sunlight. I’ve never done this and none of my spellwork has been less powerful in spite of “exposing” the water. If you’re worried, keep it in a cupboard or use amber glass. Always remember that the magic comes from your thoughts and your intentions. If you think it’s contaminated / not right, it won’t be.  🌙 What if it’s cloudy? What if you can’t see the moon? What if the light doesn’t hit were I need to set my stuff out? Breathe, the moon is still there. Just like how you can get a sunburn in cloudy weather, the moon is still shining onto earth. The energy still exists even if the light isn’t direct.  🌙  It also doesn’t have to be the full moon, or even the moon! You can make moon water for any phase that works better for your intentions, use the sun, or both (Celestial Water).  🌙 Types of water: Any.  Different waters have different magical connotations. 💦 Rain / Thunderstorm / Morning Dew 💦 Snow / Ice 💦 Pond / Swamp 💦 River / Lake 💦 Tap / Filtered / Distilled 🌙 Uses: I personally use the magical connotation to cement my intent during spells. For example, I will collect spring rain water and charge it with new moon energy for a new goal or beginning. My spells used to be mostly candle and elemental magic. I would drip some on the candle, put it in a seashell for the elemental representation of water on my altar, and as I mentioned before, spray in in the corners of my home as a smoke-less form of protection and cleansing. You can add it to spell bottles, tonics, potions, drink it (see next bullet for a huge disclaimer about ingesting spell water <3) ... it goes on. Check out this blog for more uses.

🌙  Now, drinking celestial water is not something I do, but charging drinking water is a super trendy thing these days, whether you buy the cool crystal-in-a-tube water bottle, charge a case of single-use plastic water bottles from Costco, or set your glass of water in the sun. It is a great way to ingest intentions to be absorbed by your physical being, which is one of the main components behind Kitchen Witchcraft. However, not all water is drinkable. Rainwater is contaminated by pollution and most natural water is NOT SAFE TO DRINK.  If you do use any natural water and have the intention of drinking it, YOU HAVE TO PURIFY IT. Notice that the link for how to purify is from an outdoor survival website. This is not a drill. People all over the world, especially in poor countries, die from drinking bad water in the thousands. This also goes for anything you would absorb through your skin or put close to an orifice, such as bathwater or skin toners like rose water. (Note: adding a bit of non-purified water to your bath is not going to kill you or probably remotely harm you. However, I wouldn’t if it’s from a mosquito larvae haven of standing rain water or something that could carry parasites like pond water). On another safety note: even clean drinking water can go bad, so be cautious when storing for a long period of time.   🌙  How does it work? I'm a very science-minded witch, so I love it when science has come through to back us up. In the case of charged water, we’re looking at The Law of Conservation of Energy. Yay, physics! In my head, this is how it applies: Sun light energy ➤ moon light energy ➤ water energy ➤ intentions ➤ manifestation ... and so on and so forth. Energy never dies. ♾ History / Origins My friend’s knowledge of moon water was passed down to them by the Santerians that helped raise them. As you know, that information was passed to me and from what I remember, the first Wiccan books I bought didn’t cover moon water either. These days, it’s all over the internet.  Looking up the history proved to be pretty hard. The concept is used across so many different forms of witchcraft, with no one seeming to claim it. The oldest print reference I could find is from a book called Fontaine’s Golden Wheel Dream-Book And Fortune-Teller, in reference to a love spell.  I found a copies on Amazon and have added it to my reading list. Once I read that or find more information, I will update.  Blessed be, AWTW

#witchling #baby witch #baby witches #witchcraft for beginners #roots #moon water #lunar energy #witches of tumblr

[thelostrainbowthenovel]

World-Building: Mareas’ “Celebration of Aqua” Holiday

Finally getting around to working on ideas for this holiday! So basically, around the time that I made the Alagona Siblings drawing earlier this year I was contemplating on what an important holiday would be like for their kingdom. Since their kingdom is based off of the water element and they are the most religious of all the kingdoms, I thought a main holiday for them would be something for celebrating their Deity of Water. My first thoughts were of it following some sort of a ‘baptism’ theme, which I explain a little more under the readmore. I have since done a little more thinking and expanding opon that idea, and I think I have something that will work for now. Mostly, I just wanted to work on creating this holiday idea so I can get to the short story idea I had about it, but I hope you enjoy getting to learn more about this holiday~ ^w^

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((Tiny disclaimer but I did just write this as the ideas came to my mind, so I apologize if it doesn’t sound very sophisticated lol))

So the basic idea I have so far is that it follows some sort of a ‘baptism’ theme, but for the whole kingdom and not just individually after birth. Of course, every citizen is generally baptized a couple weeks after they are born to symbolize their devotion to and becoming protected by and the child of the Water Deity, this being done by completely submerging the baby into water for a couple of seconds.

The holiday itself takes place during the first weekend of July, spanning across all three days. The first day is spent mainly with prayer and services to celebrate and spread the teachings of the Water Deity, though in more modern times some people have also added more fun activities to the first day as well after all the important stuff is done. Typically there is a fast between the first day and the second. The second day is the most important, as that is when the main event takes place. In the morning, around ten or so, everyone dresses down into simple wetsuits that are white in color. They then head towards the nearest  ‘cleansing’ fountain, where a priest will give a short sermon followed by a prayer before everyone at the designated fountain takes turns standing under the fountain for a few seconds to signify their devotion to the Water Deity. After everyone is done, they all head home to wash up and get dressed for a grand feast to follow, with whatever being done afterwards but typically people host parties to celebrate or just to catch up with others. The third and last day has no special events, but typically people spend the day just spending time with each other, and doing some fun activities like going swimming or something.

The holiday started many centuries ago around the beginning of its formation, as a way to celebrate and thank the Deity of Water for all they did for the early settlers. They took the Deity’s teachings to heart, and so to worship them, they made the holiday and chose its dates of when it would happen deliberately, as they had come to find out that the second month of summer was usually when rainfall and water was most plentiful.

#the lost rainbow #world-building #water element #water kingdom #mareas #holiday

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

Mugen: The Embodiment of Shintoism’s Redemptive Delinquent, Susanoo-no-Mikoto

Before I get into this Samurai Champloo analysis, I first want to make this clear that this is all interpretations I have made. There’s no actual direct information about the Shinto stuff (that I’ve seen), but I found a lot of parallels. There’s also a lot of variations in Shinto myth! So you may find some different but similar details.

To begin, one would at first think Mugen would be a representation of Amaterasu, Kami of the Sun, because of his association with red, fire, the sun, and the rooster in his title image. (Rooster’s represent the dawn and they were used to lure out Amaterasu from a cave). And in contrast, Jin would be associated with Susanoo, God of the Ocean and Storms, because of his association with water, and the aquatic fish in his title image. However, based on everything I am about to list, it is the exact opposite. Mugen and Jin are supposed to be like Yin and Yang, their elements canceling each other out. However, the two do possess traits of one another. For Mugen, it’s Jin’s samurai honor and morality. For Jin, he has Mugen’s stubbornness to not follow those he considers unworthy.

Mugen and Susanoo’s Personalities

Susanoo in his earliest myths, is seen in an extremely negative light. He is violent, rude, wild, arrogant, and loathed by the other Kami for his impulsive actions. In particular, his older sibling Amaterasu despises him. She by comparison, is benevolent and calm. He is the embodiment of chaos in stark contrast to his sister who represents “the balance of the universe”. Susanoo’s appearance is also supposed to be disheveled.

Susanoo, along with his two siblings, were born after his father Izanagi cleansed his face, after visiting the polluted underworld known as Yomi.

But...while Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were born from Izanagi’s eyes, Susanoo was born from Izanagi’s nose last. The Kami believe that Susanoo had already absorbed some of the impurities of the underworld, and was tainted at birth.

This idea of being “lesser” fits very much in how Mugen is treated by society. The Ryukyuan people were heavily subjugated and experienced severe discrimination by the Japanese.

Ocean And Storms Symbolism

Susanoo is most notably the Kami of the Ocean, Storms (particularly rainfall) and Harvest (also because of rainfall). Later though, he ends up becoming the Kami associated with Love and Marriage. This will be explained further later.

Mugen has a heavy affiliation with the ocean, because of his previous occupation as a pirate and being born and raised in the penal colony island known as Taramashima which is near Miyakoshima in the Ryukyus. It’s the circular island on the bottom left, below.

We know Mugen is from here because the black figures that try to send him to the afterlife are known as Paantu. Paantu are deities from a Miyako Island festival that cast out evil spirits by throwing sacred mud on houses and people. In addition, Taramashima was used as a penal colony for Ryukyuan criminals during this time period, and is affiliated with Miyakoshima since it is so close by.

Also, in one of his most defining moments, he swims and emerges from the ocean in episode 25 to save Fuu.

More interestingly, Mugen is definitely associated with storms and typhoons (heavy tropic storm).

The Ryukyuan Islands have a long association with typhoons, because they were so common there throughout history, causing much damage and famine. In World War II, the Battle of Okinawa, known as the bloodiest Pacific battle, was called “The Typhoon of Steel”. In 1972, Okinawa made the flower of the coral tree or the “deigo”, their prefectural flower. 

These flowers can be seen in episode 14, during Mugen’s flashback.

What is interesting...is deigo flowers are a symbol of disaster or catastrophe, namely typhoons. There is an Okinawan belief that the more deigo flowers bloom, the more typhoons there will be. In this episode, which is all about Mugen’s past, we are given double symbolism of the ocean and storms, when he nearly drowns during a severe rainstorm.

In addition, while Mugen’s sword is never named in the anime or manga, his blade is called “Typhoon Swell” in the Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked PS2 video game.

Fall From Grace and Rivalry with Amaterasu

Because of Susanoo’s bad attitude, chaotic personality, and destructive nature, Izanagi, chief of the Gods deemed Susanoo unworthy to live in the Heavens. So he was banished.

Accepting his fate, Susanoo decided to visit his sister Amaterasu before his departure, who had long been his rival that he fought with often.This is largely because Amaterasu as Izanagi’s first child, had divine right to rule, while Susanoo was the youngest and was believed to have impurities. Their rivalry is a symbolism of sunshine versus rain. Both are needed for the harvest, but too much of either causes famine. 

This sounds a lot like Mugen and Jin, who cancel each other out.

When Susanoo went to see Amaterasu, the lands shook, and Amaterasu grew suspicious he was causing trouble, so she met him dressed in men’s clothing and in armor. To prove he had good intentions in saying farewell, Susanoo challenged her to a contest of who could create the most gods, in order to prove his sincerity.

Amaterasu took his sword, and broke it, forming three male kami. Susano took her necklace and broke it, forming 5 female kami from the magatama beads. There’s some variations to who exactly won. One says that Susano raged happily since he made more. Another says Amaterasu used trickery, and told him that the 5 female goddesses belonged to her, since they were made from her necklace and the 3 male gods were his since they came from his broken sword. This then infuriated him.

This is similar to how Mugen and Jin broke each other’s swords in episode 26, and neither really won.

Either way, Susanoo went wild, either from rage or pride and committed several heinous deeds, namely destroying Amaterasu’s rice fields and defecating in her palace. He also flayed and killed a holy horse and threw it at Amaterasu’s holy loom, which killed one of her servants.

The holy horse seems to be important to me.

Mugen’s last antagonist of the series are the three Satsuma brothers. In particular, Umanousuke is his biggest enemy who had kidnapped Fuu, tied her to a cross, and brutally tortured Mugen after he gave up his sword to free her. I am no expert, but from what I can gather, “nousuke” in a name, means second in command beneath a lord. And “Uma” means “horse”.

After his belligerent acts, Susanoo was then thrown from the Heavens to inhabit the earthly plane, which is considered to be Japan. Similarly, after Mugen’s pirating in Satsuma, that negatively impacted Umanousuke and his brothers, Mugen finally made it to Japan.

Susanoo and Mugen’s Redemption: Saving a Woman

Despite having been seen as a wild and evil God, there is one story that redeems him, showing him as heroic, and also allows him to reconcile with his sibling.

After Susanoo was cast out of the Heavens, he walked the lands of Japan. This is similar to Mugen being shunned by society for his astigmatism of his prison tattoos, as well as being an illegal alien in Japan, since he hails from the Ryukyuan Kingdom, which at this time period, is in a very complicated relationship between China and Japan.

It is while Susanoo is in the land of man, that he for the first time, is shown actually caring for another person: a young girl.

In his travels, he meets a sorrowful, elderly man and woman who are weeping over their daughter. Susanoo curiously asks why they are crying. 

They tell him that they have lost seven of their daughters to a sea serpent named Yamata-no-Orochi (8 forked serpent) who has devoured them year after year. Now, it is time for the sea serpent to devour their last and youngest daughter: Kushinadahime.

In an uncharacteristic act of sympathy, Susanoo offers to help them. He tells the old couple to give him their daughter so he can protect her. 

Upon entering the teahouse of episode 1, which was owned by an elderly couple...Mugen meets Fuu for the first time and saves her.

Susanoo transforms Kushinadahime into a small comb and hides her in his hair so that the serpent can not find her. Then, he goes off to kill the giant snake. He gets the serpent drunk off of very strong sake, and slays it.

From the serpent’s tail, Susanoo acquires the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (the sword of gathering clouds). This sword has come to represent virtue.

After saving the girl, Susanoo asks her father for the girl’s hand in marriage. And then, after this, it would seem his new wife had tamed his tumultuous heart. She becomes venerated as the Kami of Rice and bears his 5 children. Many temples and festivals honor them together to this very day!

It is after this point, that Susanoo is no longer seen merely as the violent, antagonistic god of storms. He also becomes venerated as the God of Love and Marriage because of his heroism and love for the girl he saved.

A violent, belligerent sinful killer who falls from grace...who is redeemed by protecting a woman and becoming a hero...

You probably see where I’m going with this. Mugen and Fuu are heavily implied to have a subtle romance in the series. But if you’re confused by this and need sufficient evidence, please let me know and I’ll provide my many posts that explain it in detail. I will merely bring up one scene here, in order to tie Mugen’s connection with Susanoo, who has become the God of Love.

In episode 21, Sara tells Mugen “Powerful hatred and rage swirl within you. I cannot tell if it is sadness. It is as if you have never once been loved.”

When Mugen falls to the ground, and Sara readies her blade to kill him, Fuu jumps across his body to shield him from Sara, and begs her not to kill him. In this moment, Sara gasps, and spares Mugen’s life. In this moment, she realizes she was wrong. There is one person who does love him, enough to put her own life at risk.

This is very similar to Susanoo. Up until the point of saving Kushinadahime, he was hated by all the Gods, including his own family. But when he saved her life, she married him, implying her appreciation and love for him.

“In Search of New Lands, I Build a New House”

Immediately after marrying Kushidahime, the lovers travel around Izumi before they can find a suitable place to live. Upon arriving in Suga, Susanoo happily states "Coming to this place, my heart is refreshed.” and then built a lovely palace for him and his wife. Upon its completion, Susanoo composed a song.

The many-fenced palace of IDUMO:

“Of the many clouds rising— To dwell there with my spouse Do I build a many-fenced palace

Ah, that many-fenced palace!”

In Episode 14, during Mugen’s flashbacks, a folk song called “Obokeuri Eeumi” plays. Because it is possibly Ryukyuan (or from Kyushu) , and also deals heavily with poverty, and being unable to sustain one’s family, it is safe to say the perspective could be Mugen’s. It is especially important that the very last image he sees when the last lyric of the song plays is Fuu’s face. This last lyric is about the narrator’s lover.

Obokeuri Eeumi (Obtain Our Bearings):

In search of new lands, I build a new house I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles. I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles. At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. Let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters.  August is fast approaching, and yet I have nothing to wear I want to dress up, so brother, will you lend me just one sleeve? I wish to dress my children and loved ones… in the one kimono that I own. As for me, I will wear vines… that I plucked deep in the mountains. The light of the harvest moon shines down, illuminating the world with its divine light. When my lover sneaks in to visit me, I wish that the clouds would hide that light just a little.

Both songs are about building a house to live in with one’s loved ones, with a mention of encroaching clouds. Because Susanoo composed his song, and Obokeuri Eeumi specifically plays for Mugen’s near death experience, these songs are reflections of their characters.

Making Amends With the Rival

At some point, before or after building his home, he visits Amaterasu, his long time rival, and offers his sister the sword he acquired from killing the snake, so that the two may finally reconcile. This sword makes up the three Imperial Regalia, along with the Yata no Kagami mirror and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama.  After this moment, Amaterasu and Susanoo are no longer bitter enemies, and finally accept one another as siblings.

On the same journey of redemption that Mugen took, in which he saved Fuu time and time again, by the end, Mugen was able to reconcile with his longtime rival, Jin.

More Minor Amaterasu and Jin Symbolisms

It is from Amaterasu that all Japanese emperors claim descent. For that reason, she is the embodiment of the Japanese people. I think this is very similar to Jin, who is a representation of the ideal Japanese samurai with all of its virtues.

When Amaterasu fled from the heavens because of Susanoo’s many insults, the world became a dark and stormy place, because there was no longer any sun. Amaterasu did not want to leave the cave as she grieved for the servant Susanoo had killed. Though it might be reaching, I saw this very comparable to episode 11 of Samurai Champloo, where the trio were stranded in Hamamatsu with perpetual rain. Here, Jin states “I hope that the rain will never stop. Then, I can stay here forever.” when in reference to staying with Shino.

Amaterasu was also insulted by her husband Tsukuyomi for killing her friend, the Kami of Food, and thus never saw him again. This is a representation of the Day and Night cycle, since Tsukuyomi is the Kami of the Moon. I found this similar to Jin having to part from Shino for three years because of her stay at the Divorce Temple. In addition to that, he met with her at night when he purchased her at the brothel. But when the morning came, she told him it was “time for the fairytale to come to an end.” 

When Jin parts ways with Shino, the bridge they met on is shown one last time. Except this time, there is no more rain. There is only sunlight. 

This is a representation that he must continue on his own journey for the samurai who smells of SUNflowers, for it is his duty, just as Amaterasu reluctantly left her cave at the behest of the other Gods...because it was her responsibility to have the sun rise in the sky again.

In conclusion

Mugen and Susanoo were both hated and considered evil. Both were outcasts. But their chivalrous actions in saving a young girl they cared about redeemed them.

Mugen and Susanoo both had a rival that was their polar opposite, but in the end, the two were able to reconcile and value one another.

(And I found another excuse to ship Fuugen.) 

#samurai champloo #mugen samurai champloo #fuugen #anime #susanoo #jin samurai champloo #fuu samurai champloo #shinichiro watanabe

[liliesoftherain]

Could I possibly get a Pinterest scenario prompt 30 with bakugo. If it’s not too much to also ask, could the readers quirk be based of off witchcraft to? Thank you so much in advance!

This was so cute, I had to look up some stuff for the background on the hex bags so here’s that link! Anyways I hope you enjoy(: I love me some Bakugou tbh so it’s always a blessing writing fro him! 

30: “It was you the whole time.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Katsuki Bakugou!:

Bakugou was bewildered as he found another bag of-what the hell was this? He held a rose petal to his face and frowned. He’s been finding these bags around him for the last couple of days.

Moving into the dorms was something that he didn’t mind, he was able to spend some time away from his moms shitty nagging. What sucked was having to deal with every extra in class, especially after everything he was feeling it was exhausting to have to see them all the time. Although the fight with Deku had helped with some of his emotions, he still felt pretty shitty. However, he’s been able to sleep better the last few days and he’s been feeling much better. 

That’s when he noticed the bags. They were always a different color, but they mostly held the same type of stuff. Consisting of spices, crystals, petals, and other girly shit. For some odd reason, he wasn’t annoyed. He just wanted to know what the fuck they were and who the fuck was putting them there.

He closed the bag up and put in the drawer with the rest. He’s accumulated 5 now with the current bag being included. The different colors were a mix of yellow, green, blue, pink, black, and the current being a black. He had his suspicions, but he would never outright accuse you. That was your quirk after all, witchcraft, yet he’s never seen you do something like this.

You always used the elements when you used your quirk, taking the energy of things and converting that into spells and hexes alike. However, you tried to prove it wasn’t an evil quirk and he respected that, how you always were trying to prove yourself. Yet you used your own energy when in a battle as a way to not hurt others so it was annoying at first, how you seemed to not be giving it your all, and that had caused him to be rude to you like how he was towards that icyhot bastard.

You have gotten a little more open to using other things to help supply your quirk, and that finally allowed Bakugou to see at least some of what you could do and he enjoyed it. Now you were a worthy person to battle if you were going to keep it up.

But Bakugou has never seen you use bags before for any type of spell or whatever it was you exactly did, so he was reluctant to say anything. The only reason he felt angry about the situation is because he wasn’t supposed to give a shit if he was right or wrong cause he was always right, so who cares if he called you out? Who cares if he caught you, he could finally yell at you to quit it before he blew your ass up. But, that hesitation is what got to him. He didn’t understand why he was so hesitant to make you knock it off, in a way, he kinda liked finding the bags? It was-dare he say, cute. 

He was sure they were the reason he had been sleeping better, and feeling better, and in a way he didn’t want to lose his last grasp of peace he’s finally found. So he’s kept his mouth shut about it all, hoping that maybe you’d just come out on your own.

The next day you were in your room humming happily to yourself while creating another charm bag. You had a red cloth and were filling it with various elements to promote healing, strength, protection and love. You blushed a bit as you added Silver and rose petals, which both had love properties to them. You didn’t think it was a wrong thing to do, crush or not, you’d add love to anyone’s charm bag. Everyone should experience love and the feeling of warmth it provides.

You tied the bag with a normal string, turning to light a red candle and incense that smelled of peppermint and chamomile. Moving the bag above the flames and allowing it to bask in the smoke, using this as a way to cleanse the bag of any negativity, and to help strengthen the charm’s power once you empower it. After deeming it clean, you took a deep breath and used your own energy to transform into an aura and allowed life and power into the charm. You pictured the outcome; a safe, calm, happy, and loved Bakugou. You placed the bag against the candle and moved the last remaining energy from the candle into the bag, like a seal, until the flame burned out. 

You smiled and hid the bag in your pocket as you left your room. You knew he was still training and you wanted to place the bag in his room before he got back. Luckily you didn’t have to actually break into his room, you were able to picture picture a place inside his room. Thankfully you’ve seen it before, otherwise it wouldn’t work, and with a small spell on your lips you could have the bag phase through the door and be set wherever you thought of.

You glanced around before closing your eyes once you reached his door, and allowed the familiar spell to roll off of you lips. You felt your energy deplete, but it was nothing compared to larger spells you used during battles. You smiled and went to turn around when you heard a voice speak up.

“So, it was you the whole time.”

You spun quickly and locked eyes with the hot head. You felt your cheeks blush and heart drop, oh god he was going to chew you out wasn’t he?

“B-Bakugou! Uh, pshh, no I dunno what you’re talking about!” You laughed nervously and went to walk around him, but he caught your elbow before you could get too far. Your mouth felt dry as you swallowed whatever saliva you could to help, but it didn’t.

“Uh..” You were speachless, what were you supposed to say in this type of situation? “I’m sorry Bakugou I just..” You looked away.

He dropped your arm and sighed, running a hand over his face. 

“What was the color today.”

You raised your head with a surprised look, he’s been finding your bags?

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m asking what fucking color it was this time.”

“Um.. Red.” You were confused, was he not going to yell at you?

“Mm.. That’s like strength, protection and love right?” Bakugou grunted out, feeling his cheeks heating up.

You felt your own heat up, how the hell did he know that?

“I uh, yea, how’d you know?” 

“I looked it up obviously. I wanted to know what the hell was being left in my room after all dumb ass.” He scoffed, crossing his arms.

“I suppose.. I’m uhm, I’m sorry again. I just..” You rubbed your neck and bite your bottom lip.

“I was worried about you, and I knew you probably didn’t want anyone to comfort you so, this was the only thing I thought would help.”

“You better be sorry.” 

You looked away ashamed, knowing you shouldn’t have used it without his permission, but you just so desperately wanted to be able to do something! He was too stubborn to accept anything else!

Bakugou saw the hurt in your eyes and felt annoyed at the pang in his chest, who cares that you’re sad? Who cares that your fidgeting was cute and that lip bite.. Not him dammit!

��Idiot.” He huffed, “You better start making sure you put more strengthening shit in those bags of yours. If this is going to be a normal occurrence you better make me the best damn bags ever seen, you hear?”

You didn’t know how many more times you could be surprised before your heart gave out. 

“You want me to continue? You don’t mind?”

“Like I said, more strength, got that Luck Charm?” You flushed at the nickname but smiled nonetheless, happy he was happy, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“Of course, you can count on me.”

“Good.” He looked at you, his face soft. 

He wasn’t smiling, but there wasn’t a scowl either, it was a nice change. You both stood there until he ushered you away, and you decided not to press your luck and left without a hassle. Waving to the explosive blonde while walking back to your room. What you didn’t notice was the small smile that took over his lips when you walked away. Clutching one of your bags that he had in his pocket.

Yeah, you were his good luck charm alright.

#katsuki bakugo #bnha bakugou #bakugou #bnha bakugo katsuki #bakugou x reader #reader x bakugou katsuki #bnha headcanons #bnha #mha #bnha bakugō #bnha katsuki #kaachan #x reader #request #liliesasks #good reads #katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugō #quirk #bnha quirk #witchcraft #witchcraft quirk

[sageblogsthings]

(This is @magicalwriting main) Happy very late wbw! I wanted to ask how the magic system in Anora worked. Obviously you don’t need to lay down everything, but the powers/abilities that each protagonist has would be great! Thanks!

thanks for the ask, and no worries about it being late i will ramble about worldbuilding any day of the week! this ask really helped me develop my ideas as well so thank you! it got a bit long tho so no worries if you don’t read the whole thing i just wanted to get everything out of my head and in writing haha

when i first started building Arnora’s magic system, i asked myself what the magic system would be based on. i feel like a very common base in fantasy is the elements (earth, air, fire, water, etc) and while i love that system (and will likely use something similar for my Onyx & Opal wip) i wanted to try something different. so the foundation of the magic system in Arnora is time!

the way time works in Arnora is a bit different than the linear concept we have in our world. There are three Pillars of Existence: The Past, The Present, and The Future (these are rough human translations cuz i’m still coming up with Arnoran words for them lol). but these Pillars all support our understanding of Time at any given moment, so what we would just perceive as the present an Arnoran would perceive as a culmination of the past, present, and future in one instant. it’s kinda abstract and i’m definitely still trying to figure out how to explain it well haha

in terms of magic, this means that all forms of magic ultimately stem from time magic. for example, necromancy is a form of magic that manifests The Past, and brings that manifestation into the Pillar of The Present. so whenever someone uses magic they are drawing on one of the pillars of existence, and this pillar could kind of be seen as their patron deity in a sense.

also, not everyone in Arnora practices magic but everyone has a connection to it since the magic system is based on time and the very fabric of reality. there are those who reject this system and try to perform magic outside of time itself, and these people are called nihilimancers. there are not a lot of professions that are frowned upon in Arnora but nihilimancy is regarded as the closest thing to evil magic there is. necromancy and blood magic are not considered bad in Arnora because their conceptualization of the soul and death is very different from ours.

i’m still working out all of the characters’ powers and abilities and these might change but here’s what i have so far. in parenthesis i put which pillar is associated with each skill line! i’m gonna put a ‘keep reading’ here too so people on mobile don’t hate me lol

Vanna: green and white magic (Future)

this includes healing/cleansing spells and nature-based spells. these are under the Pillar of the Future because performing these spells requires the caster to be able to envision what could be, and bring purity to an area darkened by the Past.

Xalia: conjuration and destruction magic (Past)

if you’ve read Xalia’s chapter you might remember the part where she turns her daggers into wings: this is a form of conjuration magic. she can also cast destruction spells manifest in a lot of ways but her favorite is purple flames! this falls under the Pillar of the Past because it requires envisioning something you’ve seen or experienced before and bringing that thing to pass.  

Silaesan: he’s weird since he’s a Time Magister so he is literally the embodiment of all three pillars

the main job of Time Magisters is to envision all of the Pillars and make sure that they do not collapse and disrupt the Timeline. this involves a lot of skills from each Pillar. divination would be a skill under the Future but reading the stars would be under the Past, and interpreting the current state of the timeline would fall under the Present.

Tilaraen: destruction magic (Past) they have some other really cool magic stuff goin on buuut it would be a massive spoiler if i told u so just wait n see lol

i can’t really say much about Tilaraen without giving major plot spoilers but just know that i’m super excited to write about their backstory more! their chapters will be a really good way to understand the structure of the magic system and how it could go wrong . . . and that’s all imma say bout that

Dorian: illusions and enchantments (Present)

Dorian is nothing if not a pickpocket and a thief, and his magic reflects this. he often uses illusions to pull off heists, and uses enchantments to give him a somewhat unfair advantage in combat. he is also very skilled with poison making! this is a manifestation of the Present because illusion requires manipulating what the viewer currently perceives, and enchantments involve imbuing temporary power into an object during a moment of need.

Mikah: evocation and abjuration (Past)

Mikah is my sweet cinnamon roll baby and i just want to protect him so ofc he gets these skill lines lol. evocation is more about doing damage in combat, whereas abjuration focuses on blocking and banishing. this falls under the Past because it involves learning from your mistakes in life and in combat to become stronger in the future.

Ari: artificer/transmutation (Future)

if you’ve read Ari’s chapter you will also see his magic skills in action! he is an artificer, which falls under the school of transmutation. this is similar to illusion in that it changes the appearance of things but with transmutation you are changing the appearance and actual nature of something. this falls under the Future because you must envision what you want that thing to become to successfully perform a transmutation spell.

Verena: necromancy and blood magic (Past)

like i said before, these forms of magic are not frowned upon in Arnora. because they fall under the pillar of the Past, they are more viewed as a form of learning from history. if someone has an issue with necromancy it is not so much with the practice itself but usually the implementation of it. i can’t say too much more on Verena’s magic without giving spoilers but security, safety, and power are incredibly important to her, and she felt that necromancy and blood magic were best able to give her that.

whew that was long! bless you if you read all of that haha. this is the first time i’ve actually written all that down, it was kinda just floating in my head before, so thank you for the ask and giving me the chance to get all of that onto the page! :)

also fun tidbit but now that i’ve explained the pillars a little hopefully the name of Tov’s tavern (The Crooked Pillar) makes a bit more sense!

#kit answers #arnora #ask #magicalwriting #wbw #magic system #magic #writeblr #worldbuilding #world building wednesday

[babylon-crashing]

cunningham’s ice and snow magic

... taken from Scott Cunningham’s book, Earth, Air, Fire and Water:

I. ICE MAGIC

Dawn. A late March morning. Though the weather has been warmer lately, a cold snap has swept the neighborhood. On rising and stepping outside … you look out on a fairyland of glistening bare trees, their lacy branches covered with ice.

Few can deny the power that ice has over us. Of all the obstacles that the weather can put in our paths, ice can be one of the most dangerous. Yet, tamed and brought into our homes, ice is a delightful part of life.

Today we put ice on wounds, fill our glasses with it and set exotic foods on beds of the cold stuff. Ice is a utilitarian object, something that we may rarely think of—until we find that we have to drive to work on icy streets.

But ice is magical. It shares some qualities with its cousin, snow, and yet possesses unique uses all its own. Magically, ice is thought to be a blend of two elements. Although ice is undoubtedly Water, it possesses the solidity of the element of Earth.

Ice's transformational properties are seemingly miraculous, and the following spells make good use of them.

But you may be asking, “Are freezing temperatures necessary to practice ice magic?”

No. Ice magic is certainly a natural during winter in cold parts of the country. When birdbaths freeze over and lakes become solid white surfaces, that's the time to practice ice magic. But those who live in temperate, sunny climates can still practice ice magic. We can do this through the wonders of the modern freezer.

Artificial refrigeration certainly can be used, but keep our environment in mind. The refrigerant used to cool and to freeze water harms the ozone layer. Quickly open and close the freezer door when placing ritual items within it. There's no need to fling open the freezer door and recite 37 pages of incantation while cool air flies out and uses up the nasty refrigerant.

That said, onto ice magic!

CHERRY ICE

(a love ritual)

Have two small glasses; a larger, freezer-proof bowl; water; and some unsweetened cherry juice.

Place the glasses and bowl on your working area. Fill the glasses with water. Fix in your mind an image of yourself enjoying a mutually satisfying relationship. Once again, don't visualize your cute neighbor in your arms. Simply feel and see yourself in a loving relationship.

Place your hands over the two glasses of water. Say these or similar words:

Northern Wind;

Chilling breeze;

Rise up now;

Make this freeze.

Manifest

Love for me

As my word;

It must be!

Pour enough of the cherry juice into each of the glasses to dye the water a light pink. Then, still visualizing, pour the two glasses of water into the larger vessel. With the index finger of your projective hand, sketch a heart on the surface of the water.

Place the bowl outside (or in the freezer). Wait several hours. If the water doesn't freeze, try again. As soon as the water has solidified, your rite has ended. The power has been released. (The ice can now be melted. This in no way affects the spell.)

PUTTING IT ON ICE

Magic is a tool of personal transformation. This simple rite utilizes ice as the tool with which we can change and improve ourselves.

First, write down three words that represent three negative habits or aspects of yourself. These may include cynicism, jealousy, over emotionalism, guilt and so on. As you write, pour these negative qualities into the words and into the paper. Flood it with personal power.

Fill a freezer-proof bowl with water. Place the fingers of your projective hand into the water and say these or similar words:

I am a vehicle of transformation.

Now, place the paper into the bowl of water. Set outside or put into the freezer. When the water has been transformed into ice, remove it from the cold.

Heat some water on the stove until it's boiling. Remove the ice from the bowl (run some warm water over the bowl, if necessary). Put the ice into the boiling water, saying these or like words:

All the power that you've felt,

All your power over me,

All your power I now melt

As my will, so mote it be!

The ice block will melt. As it melts, freeing the paper contained within it, visualize yourself clean and purified of your problem.

It is done.

(Cunningham, Scott. Earth, Air, Fire and Water, pages 125-129)

II. SNOW SPELLS

Spells—rituals—are often tools of self-transformation. The following ritual utilizes one physical manifestation of Water: snow. This is, by necessity, a winter ritual. Winter can be a time of stifling isolation from nature. Though I live in sunny San Diego, I designed this ritual during a winter trip to St. Paul, Minnesota. The remarkable nature of snow (a liquid in a fairly solid form) is utilized to represent an existent negative condition or habit. If snow isn't available, shaved or crushed ice can also be used. Remember, such rituals are valuable psychological boosts, but when energy is truly transferred, magic is afoot and changes occur through means not readily explained.

TO BE RID OF A NEGATIVE CONDITION OR HABIT

When you've decided to no longer allow a harmful habit or condition to control your life, perform this ritual.

Dress warmly. During the day, go outside with a small, cereal-sized bowl. Fill the bowl with fresh, white snow. Pack it tightly, level it off with your gloved hand, and rush back inside.

Remove your cold-weather clothing and your gloves. Place the bowl of snow on a table. Standing over it, hold your hands, palms down, over the bowl. Say:

Crystal white,

Crystal snow;

Help me fight

The evil blow.

Visualize (see in your mind's eye) the habit within the snow.

See the negative condition as existing within the snow. Know that it, its causes, and the power that you give it, are in the snow. Transfer the negative energy through your palms into the snow.

Now, pour ½ handful of rock (de-icing) salt into your right hand (if right-handed; if left, use the left). Looking down at the white substance, sense its purifying, cleansing energies.

Still visualizing your negative habit in the snow, sprinkle the salt over the snow until you've completely covered its surface. Say:

White on white

Salt on snow;

Fight your fight,

Evil go.

Next, take any small stone no more than 1 ½ inches in length or width. Hold this in your dominant hand. Visualize freedom from your negative habit or condition. See yourself free from its grip. Visualize your life without this harmful condition. Feel the power that you possess to break the chain.

After a few moments, gently place the stone on the surface of the salted snow. Say:

Rock on salt,

Salt on snow;

Evil halt;

Evil go.

Sit before it, staring down into the bowl. Watch. Sense. Visualize the purifying potency of the salt destroying your habit, its causes, and the power that you have been giving it.

As the snow melts, release all connections that you have with the habit. Visualize and feel your unconscious desires melting, dissolving into a sea of apathy, an ocean of disinterest, a surging river of purification.

When the salt has melted the snow, remove the stone, pour the water outside of your house (away from any plants that may sleep beneath the blanket of white), and return inside.

Wash the bowl and the stone. Put away in a safe place until the next day. Repeat the entire ritual for nine days.

(Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Magical Sampler. 2012, pages 136-138)

SNOW FIGURE MAGIC

This is similar to “A Sea Spell” in Earth Power. But instead of using wet sand to retain the figure, we use snow.

I created this spell while visiting the mountains a few years ago. I distinctly remember the experience, for it was the first time a friend of mine had ever seen snow.

You'll need a two-foot square patch of undisturbed snow. The snow should be at least a few inches deep to retain the figure (the deeper, the better). Additionally, it should be fairly fresh. Crusty, hard, icy snow simply won't work.

Kneel on the snow (or squat, if you find that more comfortable). Visualize the magical change that will soon grace your life. See it clearly.

Now, with the index finger of your right hand (or a stick), draw a symbol of your need with firm intent and visualization.

Once you've made this symbol, draw a circle on the snow about one and a half feet in diameter around the symbol if your magical change involves love, healing, spirituality, friendships, purification or psychic awareness. Or, draw a square about one and a half feet in diameter around the symbol if the change involves protection, money, grounding, weight-loss, courage and other similar, Earth-based changes.

Brush off your hands and leave the area.

A CHARM FOR PROTECTION IN THE SNOW

This can be easily made at home with common ingredients. It can be worn or placed in a coat pocket when going into the snow for extended periods of time. It can also be attached to young children's clothing (keep it away from babies) or placed in their pockets. Mishaps are quite common in the snowy world. This is a charm to help prevent them.

Note: If you make the amulet for a child, try to involve them in the creation of it in some way. If not, visualize her or his safety—not your own, as mentioned in this ritual.

Ingredients needed: one peppercorn, a pinch of salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a pinch of powered ginger, pinch of powdered cloves. You'll also need a small piece of red cotton cloth no more than four inches in diameter, needle and red cotton thread, and a bowl.

Place all ingredients on your working area. Put the peppercorn into the bowl, saying and visualizing:

I CHARGE YOU WITH PROTECTION!

Add the pinch of salt, saying and visualizing:

I CHARGE YOU WITH STABILITY!

Add the pinch of cayenne pepper, saying and visualizing:

I CHARGE YOU WITH WARMTH!

Add the pinch of powdered ginger, saying and visualizing:

I CHARGE YOU WITH PROTECTION!

Add the pinch of powdered cloves, saying and visualizing:

I CHARGE YOU WITH PROTECTION!

Add the pinch of powdered doves, saying and visualizing:

I CHARGE YOU WITH PROTECTION!

Mix the assembled spices and salt with your fingers, visualizing yourself having a healthy, safe, guarded time. No thoughts of slips or of snow sleds banging into trees should enter your mind.

Next, transfer the herbs to the center of the red cotton cloth. Fold it in half, then in half once again. With the needle and thread, sew up the ends so that the herbs can't escape.

Carry with you as needed. Make a new protective charm every snowy season.

(Cunningham, Scott. Earth, Air, Fire and Water, 2003, pages 121-123)

#scott cunningham #ice magic #snow magic #winter spells #earth air fire and water

[bareboneswitch]

Warding - Basics and Beyond

Okay, so warding is something I’ve done for a while now and the advice on how to do it varies immensely. Some people make it sound very simple but don’t give a lot of information on how to build on them; others make it sound very complicated, usually because they’re missing out steps that they - as a someone who is used to building wards - don’t even need to think about doing anymore. Here’s my best attempt to make a post which makes the best of both approaches.

It’s stupidly long post, so click to keep reading, if you can’t get to it, let me know!

The Theory Stuff

What are Wards?

Wards, at their most basic, are protection spells. They are most usually placed on your home and personal spaces like your car.

What are the Benefits of Wards?

Well, the most obvious benefit is that wards protect but what makes wards particularly useful is you can layer them. This means you can have linked protection spells and you don’t have to worry about making a single protects-from-everything-and-every-eventuality spell. (Because goodness knows magick likes it’s loopholes.)

Secondly, the energy you use to make and maintain the ward from doesn’t have to be your own. So if you’re a fellow spoonie, this is still doable.

Thirdly, (though this is just my personal feelings) it means you need to cleanse your space less as negativity has a much much harder time getting in.

When to Use Wards

There is a question of ethics about when and where to use wards and although it entirely depends on your own feelings, it is something you should consider. If you share a space with someone - e.g. a house with your parents or in shared accommodation - people might not be comfortable with you placing wards on the entire home. If this is a something which concerns you, you might want to ward a smaller space like your bedroom or even just your bed.

How to Make Wards

This is the most basic of basic of basic warding methods. This is not a practical ward to try to actually use but this is to help you understand the framework of a ward. We’ll talk about more useful wards in a bit.

Make sure you won’t be disturbed for a while (ten to fifteen minutes for this method).

Cleanse your space.

Ground yourself and get yourself into a headspace which is calm and centred (meditation helps but isn’t necessary).

Imagine a ball of energy forming in your hands, it’s a little heavy but it’s full of warmth and the intent to protect.

Let it grow until it’s too big to hold and imagine it surrounding you, protecting you.

Now visualise it expanding, first as a ball, but then moulding to the boundries of the space you are warding. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, right into the corners; the energy forms a barrier between your space and any negative forces trying to enter it.

Voilá, your space is warded.

So as you can see, wards at their most basic are very simple. But the problem with the ward above is that it uses solely your own energy. This means it will only last until you fall asleep or otherwise run out. However, the solution is fairly simple: you use something other than yourself to supply the energy. This can be done both on a long term basis and/or in the short when you’re setting up the ward.

Short Term Energy Source

When you’re first setting it up, you can either still use your own energy or you can use another, external source. This source could be a crystal you’ve already charged, a plant or another person. While using another person is a whole different set of ethical issues, plants and crystals are often considered the easier options because they’re physically in front of you. This doesn’t work so well for me personally, so I use something more esoteric; the sun. In this vein, you can also use the moon, any of the planets you feel a close connection to, or one of the elements.

To do this, you can either have the external source with you when you make the ward (such as a crystal) or visualise it (like with the sun). If having a representation of the source helps you connect, go for it! Then draw energy from the source, visualising it pooling into a ball in your hands and thank the external source. Then continue with making your ward as shown above. Make sure you visualise the energy from your external source as separate from your own energy! Otherwise you might end up being the source whether you like it or not.

Long Term Energy Source

Once you’ve set up your ward, you need to tether it to an outside source. This is not optional as otherwise the ward will just be temporary and casting a circle for protection would be just as effective.

Many people like to use something physical to tether their ward. Sigls and crystals are common favourites and easy to use. This is not only because physical tethers are often reassuring, they also provide an easy charging point when your wards need a top up. You can use the sun and the moon or anything other energy source to power your wards long term but as a general rule, you need to give proper thanks to whatever you use. So you can cleanse a crystal regularly as thanks, you can water your plant as thanks and you can make sure your sigil is clear and defined, but considering what you need to do to thank the sun for unlimited energy is, personally, a little daunting.

So using a crystal or a plant or a sigil is fairly simple. First step is make sure you have one which corresponds to your intent e.g. an appropriate sigil, or clear quartz, or rosemary are good for protection. Secondly, once your ward is raised, imagine drawing a tiny bit of energy connection your ward to your tether. Imagine it as being strong, open and the flow is moving from your crystal, plant or sigil towards your ward. Remember to thank your tether appropriately!

If you’re using a sigil, avoid using something which will mark surfaces permanently as you may need to take it down.

Layers

So I’ve mentioned this a couple of times but this is one of the real benefits of warding as opposed to just a general protection spell carried on your person. Theoretically, you can put up hundreds of wards, linked to and layered on top of your original ward.

It’s works best if your first ward is based on the concept of general protection and you use it as the tether for every new ward. This means that if one layer becomes disturbed, you don’t have to break down any wards on top of it to fix the already wonky ward.

And I do mean, tether it to the original ward, not to the original ward’s tether. So it should look something like this:

This is because while your choice of crystal/plant/sigil is great for general protection, it might not work so well with spiritual protection. The original ward acts as a filter, meaning you can hang whatever further wards you want on it.

The Practical Stuff

How to Create your Ward

You will need

Yourself

Some uninterrupted time

Your cleansing space tools

A source (you, a plant, a crystal, the sun etc.)

A tether (crystal, plant or sigil associated with protection)

Basic warding:

Make sure you won’t be disturbed for a while (ten to fifteen minutes for this method).

Cleanse your space.

Ground yourself and get yourself into a headspace which is calm and centred (meditation helps but isn’t necessary).

Visualise the energy from your source forming into a ball in your hands, it’s a little heavy but it’s full of warmth and the intent to protect.

Let it grow until it’s too big to hold and imagine it surrounding you, protecting you.

Now visualise it expanding, first as a ball, but then moulding to the boundries of the space you are warding. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, right into the corners; the energy forms a barrier between your space and any negative forces trying to enter it.

Take your tether and visualising it connecting to your ward. Imagine it as being strong, open and that the flow is moving from your crystal, plant or sigil towards your ward.

Thank your source and/or your tether.

Alternative Methods

Pure visualisation methods don’t work for everyone and some of you may have noticed that raising a ward as I’ve described is an awful lot like the visualisation method of casting a circle. The two aren’t dissimilar; both are methods of protection. This means, like with casting a circle, you can raise a ward in different ways. Here’s a few examples:

Walk the perimeter clockwise

Use a wand or athame to trace the edges of your space

Chant your intent or create a spell to say aloud

Use incense aligned with your intention

Anything you can do to help yourself believe in the protection of your ward and it’s strength, go for it.

Maintaining Wards

Make a habit of recharging your wards. I do mine every month but go with whatever feels comfortable for you.

It’s as simple as repeating steps 3 and 4, then pushing your ball of energy into your tether for the first ward. From there, the energy will spread out.

If you haven’t recharged them in a while (for about six months or so), you may want to channel straight from an external source. But please do safely!

Dispelling Wards

It’s best practice to take down your wards if you move away from your house/appartment/dorm room. Ethically, the next inhabitant might not be okay with magick; practically, leaving your magick lying about where you can’t tend to it can get you caught up in some seriously bad side-effects.

To do so is as easy as reversing your process. If you used the basic method, all you need to do is get hold of your tether and draw the energy through you and into the earth. You generally start by drawing the energy back from your secondary wards and then, when those have been removed, your original ward. If you used a sigil as your tether, remove it by any means necessary.

Any added elements should be reversed e.g. using banishing incense or walking the perimeter anti-clockwise.

MISC (But Kinda Important)

Doors and Windows

This depends on your thoughts about the matter but some people feel that something special has to be done about doors, windows and any other openings into the warded space.

I, personally, don’t feel the opening of a door or a window would disrupt the wards around my home. This is largely because in my mind, my wards are grounded by the corners rather than the walls themselves. As a metaphor, I’ve got physical hooks in all the corners of my room, the spiritual veil is then hooked onto each one and stretched between them. I don’t believe opening the door is any more likely to disrupt the veil than walking through it.

However, I know this is a quirk in my brain rather than something which will ring true for everyone. If doors and windows cause a conundrum for you, then visualise there being a ‘thicker’ or reinforced section of the warding over them.

Types of Wards

This is by no means an exhaustive list but rather a few “must have” themes of wards.

A ward to allow energy to be pushed out (essential in case you need to cleanse the space or want a spell to affect someone not present)

Protection against harmful energy

Protection against harmful spirits/entities/people

Protection against harmful magick

An auto-cleanse ward (cuts down on the need to cleanse by other methods)

I also personally use wards which reflect harmful magick back to whoever sent it and ones designed to help me leave negative thoughts and feelings at the door. But these aren’t what I’d consider “necessary”.

#warding #ward spells #warding spells #protection spells #witchcraft 101 #energy work #long post #really long post

[the-ember-in-your-eyes]

Beginning with Witchcraft - pt2

A week has passed, the moon is new, time for a new post.

Today, I wanted to venture into the different types of witchcraft. There are a lot of different branches to this world, and it can be so confusing to find which paths suit you. I won’t be heading into all of the different types, but I will give some tips to venture into the more common ones, as well as give you some links to masterposts on different types of witchcraft.

Again a small disclaimer: I try to keep this guide insclusive, so it won’t be centered around one faith (such as Wicca). If people are interested I will make a Wicca related post, but the main theme won’t be that. If you are Wiccan, you can still enjoy this though!This is by no means a definite list or guide: you don’t have to follow this lead, and I don’t know everything either. 

Also important, I make mistakes too, and all of this is based on my own experience. Take this information as you wish, and discard it if it is no use for you, I don’t blame you. 

Most important in this is that you do what feels good for you, what makes you feel empowered and what helps you in your craft. (Yes, this might mean stepping out of your comfort zone now and then, but that isn’t a necessity).

Read on to find out more! And to read my previous post in this series, here is the link

So. Different types of witchcraft. Take a moment and think of the ones you know. You might have thought about this a bit already, maybe because of my previous post on this, and you might even know what branches have spiked your interest. 

To me, the most common types are gathered under a few umbrella terms. Of course, this is my personal way of looking at it, disagreeing with this is very normal and I don’t mind. Always keep thinking for yourself.

Green witchcraft: every type of the craft that has to do with animals, elements, nature, plants, weather, and so on;

Spirit work: the types that have to do with death, ghosts, mythical creatures, (non-physical) entities, spirits and such;

“Practical” magic: the types based around candles, colours, divination, knots, music, potions, recipes, sigils, spell jars, and the likes.

This is by no means a complete list, nor is it meant to be final. The different subtypes are interchangable depending on how you use them. For example, I have put divination under Practical magic now, but if you converse with spirits or use dreams to predict things, you could very well place it under Spirit work instead. There are also a few subtypes I intentionally left out, such as astrology, because they could be under multiple braches (in the example of astrology: I could place it under both practical and green witchcraft)

More details on different types can be found at @rainy-day-witchcraft , specifically this post 

So, how do you find what your path is? There are quite a few different ways to do this. Some people like to meditate on it, or try everything out, or ask their deity, or look at their natal/birth chart, ask a witch they know, or many other things. 

Personally, I believe a good apporach is getting into the different practical ways of the craft without the intention of finding a path. Basically turning the search upside down. Instead of picking a path and doing the things that suit that path, you do things that interest you and then pick a path based on that. Or not, maybe you find your interested to be to broad to be limited to a path, or you just don’t like the idea of one, later on.

To me, the biggest advantage of this is that you don’t force yourself into anything. You just do, be and discover. A disadvantage could be that you still feel lost without a path to guide you. I get that. To avoid this, you could try to think of things you want to learn and go from there, letting go of the concept of paths for a bit and letting your interests guide you.

So, my tips is to check with yourself what you want to do. Be it tarot, astrology, teas/potions, sigils, anything. From there on, find out what you need to learn to get good at that aspect of the craft. What you discover you like it, continue from there. If it turns out to not be your thing, leave it be and move onto something else you would like to try out.

Below, I’ll list a few aspects of withcraft you could learn, both to practice and to know about. Maybe you find stuff that interests you, maybe you don’t. Always feel free to disagree and to figure out stuff for yourself. This list is not complete!

Divination: tarot, tealeaf readings, palmistry, runes, astrology, visions, dreams, pendulums

Kitchen: teas, potions, recipes, water types (and when to use what), cleaning, cooking, house-related, infusions, poultices

Mythical creatures: Fairies/Fae, mythology, protective spirits, familiars, gnomes

Plants: poisenous, healing, smoke cleansing

Handwork: knotmagic, sewing, dolls, weaving

Effects: spells, casting, banishing, attracting, protecting, cleansing, conjuring, glamour, healing

Faiths: Wicca, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Shamanic, Satanic, Atheistic, Hellenic, Celtic, sabbats

Signs: sigils, runes, alchemy, astrology, hieroglyphs, dolls, writing

Elements: fire, wind, water, sea, storm, earth

Hedge: midwifery, spirit work, astral travel, lucid dreaming, bones, veil between worlds

Urban: music, techno, pop culture

Aura work

Moon

Colours

Candles

Stones, crystals, gems

Necromancy

If you want to give yourself homework: find about 3 things you are interested in, from the list above or from somewhere else. Make a list of them, preferably in your Book of Shadows or Grimoire. If you want to up it a notch: get into it!

One last thing: witchcraft, and especially these types, can be confusing. If this isn’t your thing, leave it be, if it is, let yourself enjoy it. 

You can be a wtich without being a type or having a path!

You can have multiple types/paths!

You don’t have to limit yourself if you do chose a path!

#witch #witchcraft #witchy #witchiness #magic #magick #witchcraft 101 #baby witch #witches #types of witchcraft #types of witches #type #AL teaches witchcraft #magical #beginner witch #witch tip #witchy tip #bos #book of shadows #grimoire #wicca #wiccan #not wiccan #male witch #path