Apple Cider is basically a homesteading spell.

So let's talk about it!

Apple Cider has been a stable in my house every single year for almost my whole life.

Although I never lived in one house for more than a year or two (and oftentimes, not even in one country), I always had a yearly visit to my grandparent's house in Washington before moving here permanently. There's a beautiful pasture, a giant garden, an orchard right next to our home dripping with pears and apples comes autumn. Every year without fail, my grandpa would drag me over with a big ol' bucket and we'd gather pounds and pounds of apples. We made all sorts of fun things. Applesauce, apple cakes, apple candy, apple honey and sugar, apple syrup - and my favorite in the whole wide world, apple cider. We would get fresh herbs from a farmers market and make gallons and gallons of cider to jar for the upcoming years, because I would always, without fail, want a cup of it when I was sick, sad, lonely, or tired.

In recent years, as I study more and more about my practice, I realized that Apple Cider was basically a potion of happiness and safety. A perfect homesteading potion/spell - which is why it gives me such a sense of comfort. And now, I'm realizing that it would be selfish of me to keep such a treasured recipe to myself.

So here is what you'll need:

Crock pot

10 apples (I recommend 5 honeycrisp and 5 granny smith), quartered

Moon water (enough to cover apples by at least an inch and a half)

1/2 - 1 packed cup of brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)

1 orange, sliced

1 tablespoon whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon genuine vanilla extract

Tiny pinch of salt

What do the ingredients manifest?

Apples: Love, Luck, Prosperity, Healing

Sugar: Sweetness, Love, Inviting good things

Orange: Abundance, Happiness, Love in marriage

Cloves: Protection, Success

Cinnamon: Protection, Healing, Luck, Love, Success

Nutmeg: Luck, Protection, Safety, Balance

Allspice: Luck, Financial Success, Healing

Ginger: Confidence, Prosperity, Success

Vanilla: Love, Passion

Instructions:

Wash your apples and orange

Cleanse your crock pot with your preferred cleansing method (I like an incense/smoke cleanse)

Slice your apples and orange, add to the crock pot

Add your sugar, herbs, and spices

Cover with moon water until it's 1.5-2 inches above the apples

Cover crockpot with lid and set to low for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight

Strain out apples, herbs, orange slices

Add vanilla and tiny pinch of salt, mix well

Serve piping hot with a fresh apple or orange slice, if desired

You can also use the cooked apples to make applesauce, or turn them into apple pancakes or add to cakes/baking mixes! I hope this recipe brings warmth and light to your kitchen <3

Blessed Be everyone, and have a wonderful autumn.

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🖤🌙

Tkhost Temple, dedicated to Uastyrdzhi, in the Kurtat Gorge, North Ossetia–Alania, Russia 

Witchy Tip!

As Samhain draws near and the veil thins, try leaving a burning candle on a windowsill to help guide spirits~

On prayers in hellenism

(feel free to correct me if i made a mistake)

Literally yesterday I was talking to one of my best friends about her relationships and said “i must admit when you dated x i prayed day and night for you to find a better man, im not a prayer person tbh”. 

And that little dumb comment ended up here. I thought to myself why was I in fact not a prayer person and why and how did I pray in certain cases such as when running or asking Aphrodite for my friend to find a better guy.

So here you go, a crash course on prayers but specifically in hellenism. 

If it’s not obvious, each way of worshipping is different and if you don’t agree with something I say just don’t do it? Paganism in general is a very personal and free religion, so do whatever you think it’s the right way (be careful too pls). 

Let’s start with what troubled me the most, the posture. Did I have to kneel? Sit? WHAT?! Well here you go:

When praying to ouranic Gods or heavenly Gods, one should stand with hands in the air and palms facing upward (Burkert 1985, 75).

When praying to chthonic Gods or underworld Gods, as well as the deceased, hands mustn’t be raised, and the prayer should be murmured (Burkert 1985, 75).

When praying to einalic Gods or Gods of the sea, as well as Nymphs and spirits of the earth, arms must be spread wide towards the sea; the hands “are also stretched towards the cult image” (Burkert 1985, 75).

(Here you can find which are some of the ouraic, chtonic and einalic gods)

Position ready, now you should try to purify yourself through washing your hands, taking a shower, etc. (Miasma, this is all miasma go research kiddos). Why? WHY?! Well, Imagine someone comes to you all dirty and smelly asking for help... no fun right. 

Let’s assume you already are clean, get an offering to offer the gods and let’s start. 

Okay okay now, what do we say when we start a prayer? Do we say “Hey pal how you doing bro” (be kind enough to add the generic frat boy voice when reading)? The answer is obviously not but what should we say... I assume you have already decided who are you praying too, so we name/invoke the deity we are asking help/giving our gratitude too, most of the times this starts with a “Hear, O (deity) + (epithets you might think are pertinent for this specific prayer, optional)”. Not always though, I’ll be furthermore breaking down two prayers from the Iliad on this steps to make it even more clear. This comparison can be found below.

Done that? We can proceed to basically give an “argument” on why you, from all people, should be blessed with their help. This is not for to guilt trip the deity okay, this is to bring up the beautiful relationship you have with them, it’s basically a reminder of “Hey, I’m serious about our deity x worshipper relationship, this is no joke”.

Now ofc we have to say why are we praying for. Wealth? Love? Want to pass your exams? (I sure do). Please don’t ask for an unicorn, ask for something the gods can give you such as protection, a blessing, good luck at an exam: be creative but not too creative. 

Now that they are hopefully giving you what you’re asking for, we give back freely not because we want to force them to give us what we want. Basically the quote “I give so that you may give.” This can be considered as a “promise” on doing something like “I will practice violin daily for you” or “I will burn a candle for you”. You have your own practices so go with them. 

Comparison among two prayers

Now that we got this, you may ask yourself “Where the hell is Roy taking all this info from?”. So I’ll just analyze prayers for you so you can see the clear structure used by Greek Writers. Here we go through comparing two prayers from the best book on Earth, the Iliad:

[446] So saying he placed her in his arms, and he joyfully took his dear child; but they made haste to set in array for the god the holy hecatomb around the well-built altar, and then they washed their hands and took up the barley grains. Then Chryses lifted up his hands, and prayed aloud for them: "Hear me, god of the silver bow, who stands over Chryse and holy Cilla, and rules mightily over Tenedos. As before you heard me when I prayed—to me you did honour, and mightily smote the host of the Achaeans—even so now fulfill me this my desire: ward off now from the Danaans the loathly pestilence."

The Iliad Book 1 446-457

[220] to war in the forefront of the Myrmidons. But Achilles went into his hut, and opened the lid of a chest, fair and richly-dight, that silver-footed Thetis had set on his ship for him to carry with him, whem she had filled it well with tunics, and cloaks to keep off the wind, and woollen rugs. [225] Therein had he a fair-fashioned cup, wherefrom neither was any other man wont to drink the flaming wine, nor was he wont to pour drink offerings to any other of the gods save only to father Zeus. This cup he then took from the chest and cleansed it first with sulphur, and thereafter washed it in fair streams of water; [230] and himself he washed his hands, and drew flaming wine. Then he made prayer, standing in the midst of the court, and poured forth the wine, looking up to heaven; and not unmarked was he of Zeus, that hurleth the thunderbolt:“Zeus, thou king, Dodonaean, Pelasgian, thou that dwellest afar, ruling over wintry Dodona,—and about thee dwell the Selli, [235] thine interpreters, men with unwashen feet that couch on the ground. Aforetime verily thou didst hear my word, when I prayed: me thou didst honour, and didst mightily smite the host of the Achaeans; even so now also fulfill thou for me this my desire. Myself verily will I abide in the gathering of the ships, [240] but my comrade am I sending forth amid the host of the Myrmidons to war: with him do thou send forth glory, O Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, and make bold the heart in his breast, to the end that Hector, too, may know whether even alone my squire hath skill to fight, or whether his hands [245] then only rage invincible, whenso I enter the turmoil of Ares. But when away from the ships he hath driven war and the din of war, thea all-unscathed let him come back to the swift ships with all his arms, and his comrades that fight in close combat.”

The Iliad book XVI 220-245

Libations & Placement 

Achilless:  This cup he then took from the chest and cleansed it first with sulphur, and thereafter washed it in fair streams of water; [230] and himself he washed his hands, and drew flaming wine.”

Chryses: “around the well-built altar, and then they washed their hands (...) then Chryses lifted up his hands, and prayed aloud for them”

Calling among the gods

Chryses: "Hear me, god of the silver bow, who stands over Chryse and holy Cilla, and rules mightily over Tenedos

Achilles: ”Zeus, thou king, Dodonaean, Pelasgian, thou that dwellest afar, ruling over wintry Dodona,—and about thee dwell the Selli, [235] thine interpreters, men with unwashen feet that couch on the ground.”

Justification 

Chryses: As before you heard me when I prayed—to me you did honour, and mightily smote the host of the Achaeans

Achilles:  Aforetime verily thou didst hear my word, when I prayed: me thou didst honour, and didst mightily smite the host of the Achaeans; even so now also fulfill thou for me this my desire.

What they are asking for

Chryses: even so now fulfill me this my desire: ward off now from the Danaans the loathly pestilence

Achilles: O Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, and make bold the heart in his breast, to the end that Hector, too, may know whether even alone my squire hath skill to fight, or whether his hands [245] then only rage invincible, whenso I enter the turmoil of Ares. But when away from the ships he hath driven war and the din of war, thea all-unscathed let him come back to the swift ships with all his arms, and his comrades that fight in close combat.”

Offerings

Chryses:  and took up the barley grains.

Achilles: nor was he wont to pour drink offerings to any other of the gods save only to father Zeus.

-_-

They both fulfill the checklist I did for you so hopefully this will be helpful. As always good luck!

Pulleyn, S. (1997). Prayer in Greek religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Petrovic, A., & Petrovic, I. (2016). Inner purity and pollution in Greek religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

mysterious autumn

"Hestia and Hermes are not husband and woman, nor brother and sister, nor mother and son either. They are neighbors, or better: friends. Where Hermes loiters is Hestia never far. Where Hestia stays, Hermes can appear at any moment."

-Hestia and Hermes: The Greek Imagination of Motion and Place by Jean Robert

“Taboo” Topics in the Pagan Community

Here’s a list of topics some people find to be “taboo” in the pagan community. Now, a lot of this list contains things people have highly variable opinions about -- either they love it or hate it viscerally. I’m in support of all of these topics as long as they’re engaged with in a safe manner. 

But my point in making this post is to warn folks -- given how the internet and tumblr are prone to dogpiling first, asking questions later, I’ve found that people simply don’t know these topics are “taboo.” They end up casually mentioning one, and then get hurt when people lash out. 

This isn’t a list to shame anyone, it’s just a warning that general pagan communities can go from kind to spiteful at the mere mention of some of these concepts! Keep it in mind as you navigate the internet. 

Being Neutral to Positive about Established Religions:

positive attitudes about Christianity in pagan spaces

talking about Christianity and Judaism as very separate things

talking about Christianity as a grouping of many different practices instead of one monolith (often conflated with the US Evangelical Version)

Holding People Accountable within the Community:

talking about any of what I call -isms (racism, ableism, queerphobia, s*xism, etc) in relation to paganism

talking about appropriation within paganism

Any Relationship Dynamic with Spirits / Deities that is Non-”Standard”:

channeling or possession, especially when done casually

godspouses (gods, spirits, fae, demons, angels, anything that can be in a godspouse-like relationship)

any kin or shard stuff

pop culture paganism

unrecorded gods

astral kids and astral s*x

any action that makes you the (wrongly perceived) “sole authority” on a deity or that posits your relationship as different from the standard pagan god-worshipper arrangement (and is therefore read as “special”)

"What's it like having Loki in your life?", you ask, innocently.

Well, let me tell you this.

On monday I got high (a bit too much probably) and decided to ask Loki to give me some cards.

The 8 of wands reversed, the 9 of wands, the ace of swords and the 10 of cups reversed fell out. In that order.

He told me to "stop trying to talk" and that he was laughing at me while i was struggling, but still doing my best, to form sentences. I love him. He's special.

“Witches’ Sabbath” - 1798 oil on canvas by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya

Ok so I've heard before that people can use witchcraft to work alongside their medications, I was wondering if you knew some tips on how to do that? If it's of any importance I wish to use this to on my antidepressants. Also I don't have many crystals and what I do I'm still working on identifying. Also something broom closet friendly. Please and thank you.

Also I really appreciate all the helpful tips I've seen on your blog they really help.

First of all, this is a really great question, and I love how you phrased it so politely. Thank you for not coming into my ask box and raging hell like so many others. If you don't mind, I'll be using your question as a post!

Witchcraft can be a helpful little friend when it comes to helping along medications and therapies, so let's talk about the safety aspect of it first. If you're planning on eating, drinking, or consuming any kind of herbal/magical/spell-like substance, ask your prescriber about what to avoid while taking medications. For example, I take Zoloft, and Zoloft shouldn't be taken with L-tryptophan supplements because it can cause issues. I also take Prazosin for nightmares, and shouldn't drink alcohol on it due to... you guessed it, various health concerns.

That being said, let's get down to business. My favorite way to incorporate witchcraft into my therapy/med routine are kitchen spells! I'll give you a few recipes, and then a list of ideas for you to research that don't involve cooking/recipes as well.

Apple Cider. Not only is it super effective, but it make your house smell amazing and they usually taste amazing too. Making Apple Cider is a great was to bring a warm, fuzzy feeling to yourself! It's super easy too: check out my Apple Cider post from yesterday (you can find it by searching Apple Magic or Apple Cider on my blog). Most of the herbs are very love and luck centered, so it's a great way to bring some self love into your home.

Strawberry self-love spell. This one is also one of my own, and it's super delicious and easy. It can be made into a number of things: drinks, cakes, oatmeal, etc. Here's the link to that post.

Herbal teas and drinks. Lots of common kitchen spices are great to help invoke self-love! Cloves, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg are all wholesome herbs and spices to incorporate into these drinks. One of my favorite self-love drinks is very easy to make: a cup of steaming hot milk/milk replacement, a decent shake of each spice, and a tablespoon or two of sugar with a splash of vanilla makes a delicious, warm drink that soothes the soul and invoked self-kindness.

Here are a few other ideas for you to dig into:

Incorporate herbs that invoke love, healing, and happiness into your food

Make lots of bottles of moon water and challenge yourself to drink one every day. Hydration AND a spiritual boost!

Add lemon to your water every morning to help increase your energy and focusing levels. Stir clockwise!

Create a small spell jar with love-invoking herbs and carry it with you or put it in your bag. I recommend not using wax to seal it if you do, though. Use a screw-cap jar if you need to.

Juniper and rosemary smoke cleanse! Juniper banishes negative energies and well as invites good energies. Rosemary also invoked wellness, healing, and good energies.

Frequently cleanse your space, juniper or not. An easy cleanse spray is sea salt mixed with moon water, then a very light spray around your space. Remember to sweep/mop or vacuum often when you use that, especially if you have pets!

Light pink or red candles to invoke self-love

I also want to say this again, so everyone say it with me: witchcraft doesn't replace therapy and medications. One more time, with gusto! Witchcraft doesn't replace therapy and medications!

Good job!

And that wraps up this post! Good luck y'all, stay safe and blessed be! :)

Tips and Commissions: Ko-Fi

Allfather Odin offerings (modern edition)

Thing's i've found Odin likes.

- Arizona iced tea. I buy a gallon every week and he lets me drink for him.

-He really liked the song "blackout" from in the heights

- Food offerings

-drinks in general yk

- letters written to him in runes

- RUNE SETS!

-poetry

- working out in his honor

-little trinkets

-papers you've written

- spear shaped items

- birb

- make a pinterest board for him

-chill in the woods/with plants

-drawings! and specifically drawings of him!

- your favorite books

‘This “materiaphobic” theology, which took root in late antiquity and found its apotheosis in the clockwork cosmos of the seventeenth century, had the embodied effect and indeed the motivation of subjecting “nature” and its “resources” to private and colonial possession. Such ownership increased, in turn, the techno-scientific use of such “resources.” In other words, the recoding of animal, mineral, vegetable, and nonwhite human lives as machinery conditioned their unrestrained exploitation—an exploitation that would have been impossible without the rigorously anti-pantheological operations of imperial Christianity. As White explains,

In Antiquity every tree, every spring, every stream, every hill had its own genius loci, its guardian spirit. These spirits were accessible to men, but were very unlike men; centaurs, fauns, and mermaids show their ambivalence. Before one cut a tree, mined a mountain, or dammed a brook, it was important to placate the spirit in charge of that particular situation, and to keep it placated. By destroying pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects. [41]

Of course, the chimera that White names (centaurs, fauns, mermaids) are all specific to Greek antiquity. But the drive to de-animate the landscape has persisted throughout the spatiotemporal adventure of Christian imperialism in its tentacular entanglement with industrial capitalism and techno-science.

In nearly every continent on earth, over the course of centuries, the steady denial of life to the earth and its constituents has secured cheap (even “free”) materials for Western overdevelopment, overriding countervailing indigenous and endogenous cosmologies by converting, enslaving, disciplining, and destroying their adherents (“the smell of the burned witches still hangs in our nostrils,” writes the ecofeminist Neopagan Starhawk. [42]) In short, the pantheological divinity of the world is only unthinkable under the historically specific regime of a theo-techno-politics whose ascendance has had disastrous racial, gendered, and ecological consequences.’

—Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Pantheologies: Gods, Worlds, Monsters (2018, pp.117-118)

41. White, Jr., “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” 1205.

42. Starhawk cited in Isabelle Stengers, “Reclaiming Animism,” E-flux 36 (July 2012)

White, Lynn, Jr. “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.” Science 155, no. 3767 (1967): 1203-7.

Stengers, Isabelle. “Reclaiming Animism.” E-flux 36 (July 2012): 1-10.

Blue goldstone is a crystal that looks like a starry sky. It is said to give courage and help build positive energy. It is strongly associated with communication and often advised for empaths to help sort out emotions.

shirt that says “as above” and booty shorts that say “so below”

You know what I love? Calling it "Christian Mythology." Referring to their god as "The Christian God." Refusing to conform to the idea that their religion is any more valid than anyone else's.

Oh, it makes them spicy. Gets them all twitchy. They wanna fistfight me in a Denny's parking lot, but they know they can't 'cause I'm right.

By @hollyisnotanartist

Hi, I'm alex and I'm

Looking for a Mentor.

Now that I have your attention, these are the details:

I would like one or two short- or long term mentors who can help me expand my knowledge in witchcraft.

I obviously don't know everything and I'd love to learn from others!

Some things I'd be interested in learning about:

mediumship, methods to train my clairs, green witchcraft, spellcrafting, crystals, baneful magic, seidr, demons, draconic witchcraft, and other witch paths that are (obv) not closed.

I have at least a basic knowledge on most of these topics but.. ya never know.

I do feel the need to say that I am not always able to do things immediately when you ask me to because i have mental health issues and it just doesn't work like that :') I would appreciate if you, as my mentor, would also reach out to me because i can be quite forgetful and I don't mean any harm by not messaging you for a couple days. I just forget sometimes. :/

However, if you're interested in mentoring me please fill out this short survey!

Thank you!