witchyriverdragon

[witchyriverdragon]

Isn't it actually so beautiful that deities take the time to try and guide and teach us? How wonderful is it that they care for us so deeply that they'd share their wisdom, knowledge, and insight so freely? I think a deity's love is something to be cherished, and I cherish this. 🧡✨

[witchyriverdragon]

My Autumnal Equinox / Höstblót celebration 2023

The autumnal equinox marks the day when night and day are the same length. From this day onwards, the days will be shorter than the nights, meaning that the darker half of the year has begun. It's also the second of the three harvest festivals of the year.

As always, i want to do a lot of homemade and handmade things to celebrate and give thanks for what i have. These are my plans for this year:

collecting coloured leaves 🍁

selfmade candles in second-hand mugs (to light during the darker months) 🕯

selfmade calendula salve (for dry winter hands) 🌼

making another "harvest wreath" (like the one i made for Freyfest) 🌰🍂

a hand-embroidered altar cloth 🧵

Materials i’ll need:

second-hand mugs

beeswax (for the candles & the salve)

candle wicks

calendula infused oil

containers for the finished salve

wreath base

collected material for the wreath (e.g. conkers, acorns, colourful leaves, etc)

embroidery pattern + fabric + embroidery floss

[witchyriverdragon]

Lunar Witchcraft: Tools & Associations

Tools: Arrowhead, Athame, Boline, Bow & Arrow, Chalice/Cup, Dew Drops/Tear Drops (shape and representation), Glass, Glitter, Glowsticks, Glow-in-the-Dark Items, Lanterns/Paper Lanterns, Lunar Calendar and Charts, Moon Imagery, Moon Phases, Moon Shapes/Crescent Moons, Moon Water, Music/Song, Ocean/Sea Imagery, Parchement/Paper, Pendulums, Porcelain, Silver Jewelry/Objects, String/Thread, String Instruments

Colors: Silver, Blue, Light/Pale Blue, Violet, Lavender, Pale Yellow, White

Corresponds To: Beauty, Grace, New Beginnings, Patience, Time, Water/The Ocean, Rest, Sleep, Dreams, Divination, Mystery, Secrets, Femininity, Youth and Age, Silence, Changes, Transformation, Cleansing, Emotions (pure)

Crystals: Moonstone, Opalite, Sodalite, Aquamarine, Selenite, Labradorite, Fluorite, Clear Quartz, Milky Quartz, Aragonite

Metals: Silver, Mercury, Steel, Nickel

Plants/Herbs: Lotus, Mallow, Almond, Arrowleaf, Blue Hibiscus, Moonwart, Morning Glory, Mushrooms, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Pear, Seaweed, Sea Beans, Peace Lily, Melon, Sweet Pea, Hazel, Lettuce, Wintergreen, Watercress, Waterlily, White Rose, Cabbage (flowering), Broccoli (Flowering)

Animals: Wolf, Bat, Owl, Moth, Rabbit, Crab, Cat, Dolphin, Toad and Snail

Beasts & Creatures: Jade Rabbit, Werewolf and other werecreatures, Moon Men, Man in the Moon, Aliens, Nymphs (esp. Water), Faeries/Fae, Vampires, Spirits, Moon Hare, Munipuru (”People of the Moon”)

Sense: Vision, Taste

Body: Tongue, Throat, Digestive Track, Bladder, Lymph Nodes, Brain, Brain Stem, Pelvis

Moon Related Magic: Divination, Energy Work, Cleansing, Beauty, Glamour and Illusions, Dream Work, Sleep, Trance Work, Spirit Work/Necromancy, Purification, Change & Transformation, Communication, Secret Keeping, Invisibility

This post is compiled from my personal research and grimoire, please do not repost.

Like what I do/post? Interested in letting me know? Feel free to buy me a coffee!

[witchyriverdragon]

Very important.

[witchyriverdragon]

What are some daily witchcraft things you don't personally do anymore, but would recommend to new witches?

I'm gonna go a little off the rails from your question, hope you don't mind. I do some of this stuff and I've maintained most of my witchy habits throughout my practice.

Ideas for your Witchcraft Routine

Daily:

Meditate

Pull a tarot card

Ask the pendulum a question or two

Interpret or at least journal your dreams

Pick some witchy items to carry on you for the day

Pray to any deities (if you have them)

Weekly/monthly:

Cleanse your tools

Cleanse your space

Charge your tools/crystals

Add energy to/add new layers to/redo your wards

Give offerings to your deities

Make moon water

Take note of current/oncoming moon phases & what you want to do for them

Take note of any supplies you need more of

Look at your notes, is there anything you want to start researching or work on?

Reflect on previous tarot readings

[witchyriverdragon]

[witchyriverdragon]

10 Prompts for Shadow Work

🌒 🌕 🌘

Keep track of your feelings from day to day. Record how you felt and try to pin point why you felt certain ways in different situations. How could you habe handled it better? Why did you react the way you did?

Write a letter to your past self, or your future self. Then break down your thoughts on why you said the things you did. Address any emotions that pop up during this process and record them. Why did you feel that way? What events in your life made you right what you did?

Are you living true to yourself? Are you changing who you are based on who you're around? What are those changes? Why do you make those changes?

Are you holding on to something or someone that you should let go of? Why do you hold on to it? What are steps you can take to let go of it?

What are your fears? Your REAL fears not just spiders or heights. Why are you afraid of those things? Are there any steps you can take to lessen that fear?

How do you treat the people in your life? Is there anything you could do for them to better your relationships? Are you being a positive, healthy influence on their life or are you being a toxic one? If toxic, what changes are you going to make to your behavior to stop being toxic?

What do you wish other people knew about you? Why do you keep it hidden?

Are you healing from past traumas and or incidents or have you just distracted yourself? What healthy ways could you address unhealed trauma in order to move to a healthier place?

Make a list of people you don't like. Why don't you like them? Are they actually bad or do you see bad parts of yourself reflecting in them and that's why you don't like them? Be honest.

Write down everything that happens to you in a week that makes you feel bad in any way. Examine this list and ask why certain events make you feel bad.

BONUS: Write down what you believe about a variety of things (from religion and karma all the way down to relationships and your career path). Why do you believe those things? Are these feelings set in stone or are you willing to accept alternate views? Why or why not?

Remember Shadow work is all about unlocking your subconscious. This helps you understand yourself better which is important for many different aspects in witchcraft, and your star seed will thank you for it.

🌟 🔮 🌟

[witchyriverdragon]

Art by Ethan Lee

[witchyriverdragon]

Major Pagan Holidays

There are 8 major holidays in the year. The names, dates, what they celebrate, and some animals connected with them will be listed below.

Yule - December 20th to January 2nd

Yule celebrates the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. Traditionally evergreen branches were brought inside, and kept alive until the solstice to ensure that spring and longer days would return. Friends and Family were honored, often through gift giving. Animals associated with Yule are reindeer, moose, mice, snowy owls, and arctic foxes.

Imbolc - February 1st and 2nd

Imbolc celebrates the first new growth on plants, of buds breaking through the ice and snow to signal the return of spring, warmer, longer days, and plentiful food. Animals associated with Imbolc are lambs and small birds.

Ostara - March 19th to 21st

Ostara celebrates the arrival of spring and the earth’s rebirth from a long harsh winter. Fertility and motherhood are also celebrated, as well as the spring equinox. Animals associated with Ostara are birds, rabbits, and baby animals overall.

Beltane - May 1st

Celebration of fertility, abundant life, and the mating season of animals. Often when young couples would begin courting. Animals associated with Beltane are deer, goats, and rams.

Litha - June 20th to 24th

Litha is the celebration of the longest day of the year, and the upcoming harvesting of crops. Animals associated with Litha are robins, wrens, summer birds, horses, and cattle.

Lammas - August 1st

Lammas celebrates the growth of food and harvest at the height of summer, as well as the abundance of food. Animals associated with Lammas are woodland animals, birds, and deer.

Mabon - September 21st to 29th

At this time in the year, day and night are equal in length. We pay respect to the impending night and the autumn equinox.  Animals associated with Mabon are squirrels, hares, and owls.

Samhain - October 31st to November 1st

This is the pagan new year, and night of the dead, when the spiritual world is closest to the physical world. Animals associated with Samhain are (black) cats, screech owls, bats, and spiders.

[witchyriverdragon]

HOW TO cast a circle 🕯

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgRS0br-MoSAWP7IDFeivfg

[witchyriverdragon]

Gifts for Dionysus 🍷

Wine

Orgasms

Parties

Literature and art

Purple, green and burgundy candles

Amethyst

Grape, ivy, fennel, cinnamon, or musk incense

Figs

Berries

Wine glasses

Alcohol

Honey/honeyed milk

Here’s a small list of devotional items you can give Dionysus 🌱 as always, please make sure ahead of time the offering is okay for him as relationships vary 🌸

[witchyriverdragon]

Mabon- The Autumn Equinox

Time of Year

Mabon is traditionally celebrated between the 21st-25th September in the Northern Hemisphere, although it is typically celebrated on the 23rd. In the Southern Hemisphere, some witches will also celebrate Mabon to align with the calendar, and other witches celebrate Ostara, to align with the seasons. Those witches would celebrate Mabon from the 21st-25th March. This post focuses on the celebration of Mabon.

What do we celebrate?

Mabon celebrates a time of balance, where the days and nights are of equal length. Darker days are ahead, so we give thanks to the warmer days that have passed. In Wicca, this is when the Goddess begins her transformation from mother to crone, and the God prepares for death and rebirth. This is the second of the three harvest holidays (lammas, mabon and samhain), which celebrate the abundance of nature and the result of a fortunate harvest.

It is also a time to finish old business in order to stop and relax, and enjoy the fruits of your labour. It's a good time to finish projects and take a break from working hard all the time, whether that be at school, at work, or at home.

Name origins and history

Also known as the second harvest, the feast of Avalon, or cornucopia, the name Mabon is shared by a Welsh god, meaning "divine son", however, this name was only coined in 1970 by Aidan Kelly as a reference to the god Mabon, and it was probably not originally a celtic celebration.

In the 1700s, the Bavarians (in what is now modern day germany) began the tradition of a week-long festival called Oktoberfest, which is still celebrated today. It shares some traditions with Mabon, centering around themes of the harvest and giving thanks.

Correspondences

Mabon is a time to cast spells about balance and resolving issues from the past few months, and protection and security for the coming months. It is a good idea to cut ties with any energies that surround you but no longer serve you, and accepting the events of summer and moving on.

Colours: earthy colours like brown, red, orange, yellow, green and gold.

Symbols: wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty (cornucopia).

Crystals: yellow agate, sapphire, quartz (particularly yellow and brown variations), amber, citrine, tiger's eye, aventurine, ruby, tourmaline.

Herbs: rue, yarrow, sage, chamomile, rosemary, hyssop, ivy, thistle.

Flowers: marigold, sunflowers, carnations, chrysanthemums.

Animals: blackbirds, butterfly, salmon, hawk, squirrel, horse, owl, stag, wolf, eagle.

Foods: apple, cinnamon, pears, berries, homegrown foods, bread, potatoes, carrots, courgettes, squash, onions, nuts, cakes, fruit juice, apple cider, homemade wine.

Gods and goddesses: Skadi, Modron, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona and the Muses, Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes, the Green Man.

Activities and festivals

Altar decoration is probably the most obvious. You could decorate your altar with homegrown fruits and vegetables, or perhaps homemade bread. It is also a good time to remake or maintain your broom, as there are plenty of dry twigs to make brooms out of. The broom could also be decorated with corresponding items such as acorns, conkers, and coloured ribbons.

In terms of crafts, you could make a wreath out of seasonal decorations, leaves, twigs and ribbons, or enchant acorns and give them as gifts or keep them for spell work.

Go outside if you can! Take walks (maybe with a pet) in the woods or somewhere with trees, and observe nature in the middle of autumn. You could plant bulbs for the springtime or maintain your garden, if you have one.

However you celebrate,

Happy Mabon, everyone!

#mabon #autumn equinox #witch #sabbats #witchblr #autumn #pagan #wheel of the year #second harvest

[witchyriverdragon]

[witchyriverdragon]

[witchyriverdragon]

Aeromancy:  Divining with the Weather

Witches everywhere have been met with eyebrows raised and scoffing when claiming that they can control the many aspects of weather and foretell the future by the changes in it.  The very idea that one person could produce enough magical energy to control the powerful forces of the sky above us is met with a great deal of skepticism…and as it should be.  Weather, itself, happens when many complex forces combine.  Weather magic takes a great deal of concentration, practice, time, understanding, and focus.

But that is not to say it is impossible!  The more witches that conduct their energy towards the skies, the more likely there will be evidence of change and success!  

Throughout many magical paths and practices, there are many traditions found.  And one of them is known as Aeromancy!

What is Aeromancy?

Aeromancy is the art of divination where a witch is able to the future by the observation of atmospheric, air or sky phenomena. This goes beyond the range of simple meteorology.  One must understand such things as wind currents, cloud shape and formation, comets and falling stars, spectral formations, and other phenomena which are not normally seen or visible in the heavens. 

Some of the different forms of Aeromancy include: Eromancy, Austromancy, Chaomancy, Roadomancy and Ceraunoscopy.

the History of Aeromancy

Due to the historical interest people have had in weather, seeing it as a medium by which the gods expressed both joy and anger towards those who worshipped them, it is no surprise that aeromancy is one of the oldest forms of divination.  The Hindus, Etruscans, and Babylonians in particular found the signs in the sky to be of great interest and practiced forms of chaomancy and ceraunoscopy.  This fascination with the omens in the skies was reflected by the gods worshipped by these peoples.  As an example, two gods associated with ceraunoscopy are:

Tinia, the Etruscan god of lightning

Adad, the Babylonian god of thunder, lightning, and prophesy

Types of Aeromancy

There are several types of divination that can be categorized under the term “aeromancy”:

Austromancy, divination by observing the wind. Anemoscopy is austromancy in which the wind direction and intensity is interpreted, whereas nephomancy is divination by the interpretation of the movement of clouds.

Ceraunoscopy, divination by the interpretation of thunder and lightning.

Chaomancy, divination by aerial visions, is nearly synonymous with aeromancy, but most often refers to nephomancy or cometomancy, divination by the appearance of comet tails.

Meteormancy, divination by meteors and shooting stars.

Modern Aeromancy

Some forms of modern aeromancy have taken a more introspective turn than their historical counterparts. For instance, modern nephomancy is a receptive, almost meditative process, by which a person is said to be able to examine their unconscious. The nephomancer studies the clouds, whose formations are random and constantly changing. The images and symbols the diviner picks out from the chaos are believed to have some sort of significance to the diviner, so long as he applies his own personal interpretations to the symbols, rather than those written or spoken about by another.

As an aside, one of Salt’s favorite weather witches around is @stormbornwitch!  Check out their posts for more information!

How many of you are weather witches?  Tell us in the comments! That’s all for now! SALT Witch Haven Community Creator, Server Mom, BAMF Find her @saltwaterwitchery

[witchyriverdragon]

🌼 Little chamomile milk tea potion 🌼

I made this to relax before bed and bring in sweet dreams and happiness the next day. This is good after a stressful day or when you want a good nights sleep.

What you need

-3 chamomile tea bags - relaxing, peace, happiness

-water (I used normal water but you can use rain or moon water for more of an effect)

-milk

-honey - to sweeten your dreams

-cinnamon - to bring happiness into the next day and to remind you that the sun always rises the next day

Steps

I. Fill a mug ¼ full of water and pour it into a pot. Put the chamomile tea bags in and simmer the pot to let them seep

II. Let the tea get really strong. Maybe simmer it for about 10 minutes

III. Fill the mug about ¾ full of milk and pour it into the tea. Make sure to leave the tea bags in.

IV. Add in honey and stir until devolved. Once your milk tea is warm, pour it into the mug and sprinkle cinnamon one top

V. Hold the mug in your hand and change it with calm and happy energy

I hope you enjoy this delicious milk tea! Have a wonderful day 🌼

[witchyriverdragon]

Do other witches dream of a fully functional tea garden of their own? Grapefruit mint is the prettiest mint I have ever grown, and also one of the tastiest. It’s nice to see it mentioned somewhere!

The-Wiccans-Glossary