Samhain

Hi, I’ve been wanting to study greek religion for quite a time now. Even considering worshipping deities but I don't want to disrespect anyone. What can you suggest to where I can start? If there are reading the most accurate materials, please do tell.

Χαίρε, anon :) Thank you so much for your question!

I actually do have a RECOMMENDED READING FOLDER

If you're only just getting into the study of ancient Greek religion, I would suggest reading the following books/articles:

Jon D. Mikalson's "Ancient Greek Religion"

K.A. Rask's "Devotionalism, Material Culture, and the Personal in Greek Religion"

Mary Depew's "Reading Greek Prayers"

Jennifer Larson's "Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide"

I also suggest reading the following primary texts:

Apostolos N. Athanassakis' translations of "The Homeric Hymns," and Hesiod’s "Theogony, Works and Days, Shield"

And Richmond Lattimore's translations of the Iliad and Odyssey :)

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me!

Witchcraft: Protection Herbs and Crystals

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— simple ward/home or room protections

literally just a rock. it can be a protective crystal if you want, but also if you pick up a rock from outside it can be a ward.

black salt (or any salt, if you wish) on windowsills. i also have black salt in jars in the 4 corners of my room.

sticks. dude trees are SO cool and protective, just don’t cut off a branch (unless you’ve been given permission, but i doubt a tree would like one of their limbs being cut off when you can easily find naturally dropped ones on the ground).

sigils! sigils are so versatile, make your own or find some online, draw it on a paper, and put it in your room. i have some thumbtacked to my wall as well as on my altar.

thread or ribbons around doorknobs. tbh, im not sure where this one comes from (maybe witch bells? which are also an idea) but you can tie black (or any color, but black is good for protection) ribbon around your doorknobs as a form of protection.

i’ll probably add a second post if i think of more. hope these can help you come up with your own ideas, too!! happy witching!

Houseplant Correspondences & Meanings

I've developed these correspondences as part of an oracle deck that I had planned to create but I need to actually draw them.

ANYWAYS here are some houseplants and their witchy correspondences!

If you know me personally or have been following me for a while, you'll know that I'm obsessed with houseplants. So of course, being me, I've been trying to incorporate them into my practice.

Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

-Inner Strength, Positivity

Snake Plants can live and thrive even in difficult environments. This plant reminds you of your inner strength and of the positivity around you. You are capable of adapting to your situation. Be confident in yourself and your decisions, even if those decisions are hard to make.

These plants are also believed to have the ability to absorb negativity and release positivity, as a person this is someone who always shows you the bright side.

Rubber tree (Ficus elastica)

-Flexible, Lenient, Support

Rubber trees are diligent and flexible. The aerial roots of the rubber tree are used to build bridges in some places! These plants are able to be trained as they grow so that the tree is never harmed.

Things are changing and you seem to be handling it well, allowing yourself to go with the flow is the right choice. You may be the support for someone else going through a change right now, allowing them to lean on you and reflect on your love and kindness.

Ficus Elastica reminds you of your resilience, your ability to bend without breaking. You know that as time passes and things change you will only get stronger.

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

-Easy going, Care-free, Quick to recover

Perhaps it’s time that you allow yourself some freedom. This card urges you to practice some self-care–and that doesn’t just mean drinking a gallon of water and smearing on a mud mask–let yourself relax and have some fun. Hang out, like the vines of your friendly pothos.

This plant can also represent someone who is outgoing, carefree, and a true extrovert. Seek them out for support, they are a good companion to have.

Spider plant (Chlorophytum)

-Friendship, Community, Kinship

The spider plant is one of the easiest plants to propagate, making it an easy gift for those around you! This plant signifies a strong community and friendships. Take stock of the friends you have and let them know how grateful you are! 

You can look toward and lean on your friends and your community, either for guidance or for a listening ear. Let yourself be a part of this community and know that it doesn’t make you any less of an individual to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum)

-Gentle, Careful

Maidenhair fern is soft to the touch, encouraging you to be gentle with yourself and those around you. Let yourself be taken care of and allow others to shower you in love and praise, you deserve it. You are being careful, and there is no shame in that, but without any trust in yourself or those around you, you may end up worse off. Let your hair down and have some fun.

ZZ Plant

-Resillient, Independent

The ZZ plant is known for thriving even with little outside help, it’s time to be like ZZ and be independent. You have the resilience and strength necessary to make it on your own. This doesn’t mean that you need to be alone, just that it’s time to stand with your own two feet. 

This plant also reminds you that while being independent is certainly something to be proud of, it’s okay to reach out for help when you need it. Even the ZZ plant needs to be watered and given a little sunshine!

These correspondences are based on the history, meanings, and overall vibes of the plants. It's ok if you don't agree with these, as this is just a page from my grimoire that I'd like to share with other plant lovers.

ANYWAYS here are some houseplants and their witchy correspondences!

Keeping this here for safe reminders

Your Life and the Suits in Tarot

Wands are your passions.            

The Ace of Wands could mean finding a new hobby, like painting or hiking. The Two of Wands could mean planning the renovation of your home, if interior design or woodworking is among your passions.

Passion is related to creativity. So the Six of Wands could mean your Instagram posts gaining a lot of attention, if you are into fashion or photography.

And we tend to be very passionate about our favorite celebrities and our crushes, so the Eight of Wands could mean receiving attention from someone famous or somebody you are interested in.

Cups are your emotions.

The Ace of Cups could mean the arrival of a new lover, while the Two of Cups could mean romance blooming between you and a friend.

Emotions are not always positive. Sometimes it is as if they do not even exist, like in the Four of Cups, where you are bored from feeling nothing. Other times they are negative, like in the Five of Cups, where you could be grieving a death or a breakup.

The Page of Cups could be an invitation to go out on a date. The Knight of Cups could be a marriage proposal. Both offers involve strong emotions.

Swords are your thoughts.

These thoughts could be mundane, like the Two of Swords asking you to decide between steak and salmon for dinner.

Other times, they could be of the higher kind, such as the Four of Swords conveying that your mind is at peace, because you have found your true spiritual path.

Most of the time, though, these thoughts are about day to day affairs, such as the Page of Swords confirming that you will get the job, or the Eight of Swords predicting how stressed you will be because of an exam.

Pentacles are your foundations.

Since we are living in a material world, most of our foundations are material. The Ace of Pentacles could mean starting at a new job, while the Six of Pentacles could mean receiving a bonus.

Foundations are related to stability. So the Five of Pentacles does not necessarily mean you will lose everything and become a beggar. It could simply be predicting that you will suffer a salary deduction because of the pandemic, causing you to feel less financially stable than usual.

For this reason, the King of Pentacles is the most stable figure in this arcana, closely followed by the Queen and the Knight.

They often overlap.

Because all of life overlaps.

If what you are most passionate about is money, then when the Suit of Wands talks to you, it would be speaking about finances, instead of hobbies. And if you are emotionally focused on spirituality, then instead of symbolizing a new lover, the Ace of Cups could mean a new religious journey.

The Three of Swords, for example, is about heartbreak. So why is it not under the Suit of Cups? Because when we are heartbroken, our heart is actually quiet. It is our mind that screams in pain, and that is the Suit of Swords’ domain.

What to do when the cards don’t make sense

You know when the cards you pull just make you say “huh?” Yeah, it happens to all of us. So here’s what I do when I’m in that situation

1. Pull a clarifying card

Clarifying cards can be tricky. They can either shed some much needed light on the spread in front of you, or they can make things murkier. I still use them as my first reaction, but we aware that they aren’t an instant problem-solver.

2. Research!

Look up what other people have to say about the cards! Biddytarot online is a great resource, but also any book or website could give you that lightning flash of connection.

3. Meditate

I’ll admit, I’m not the best or most practiced at meditation, but I’ve found that even just taking a moment to step back and just Look can be really helpful. Maybe the connection is in the card next to it, or maybe it’s the colors that are trying to communicate with you. Take a moment and see what sticks out to you, then research it!

4. Come back to it later

Sometimes, the best thing you can do it just write it down and move on. A lot of times the cards are telling you something you don’t want to hear or they’re talking about something that hasn’t happened yet. I always recommend keeping some record of spreads, whether it’s a picture or actually writing it down that way you can come back and see what knew insights you can draw from them.

It’s never fun to feel stuck with a reading or to feel like you’re doing a bad job, so I hope this helps! 🖤

Laws of Magick (Grimoire Excerpt)

The Laws of Magick are concepts that describe patterns in the effects of witchcraft. Here are some simple definitions.

The Law of Attraction

What you put out to the world will be returned to you. This is manifestation through intention: "I want kindness so I will give kindness"

The Law of Knowledge

Knowledge is power. The more you know about something, the more you understand it and can use it or have power over it.

The Law of Self-Knowledge

Know thyself. The more you know yourself, the more you are capable of becoming the master of your own destiny and the facilitator of change in your own life.

The Law of Cause and Effect

Consistency is key. If you do the exact same action in the exact conditions, you will get exactly the same results every time.

The Law of Synchronicity

There is no such thing as coincidence. Though possible, it's extremely rare that two things happen at the same time that are not interconnected in some way.

The Law of Association

If any two patterns have elements in common, the patterns interact through those common elements.

The Law of Similarity

Having an accurate physical or mental representation of something facilitates control over it.

The Law of Contagion

Objects or beings in physical contact with each other continue to interact after separation. More contact = more connection.

The Law of Names

Knowing the complete and TRUE name of an object, being, or process gives one complete control over it.

The Law of Words of Power

Certain words hold great power. Even if their meaning is lost, the power is still there. An example is names: though you may not know what your name means exactly, it still holds a lot of power.

The Law of Personification

Personifying (considering it alive or to have a personality) anything makes it an entity. This can be beneficial in many ways: one example is personifying an object to channel a deity through it

The Law of Invocation

It is possible to establish internal communication with entities from either inside or outside oneself, said entities seeming to be inside of oneself during the communication process.

The Law of Evocation

It is possible to establish external communication with entities from either inside or outside oneself, said entities seeming to be outside oneself during the communication process.

The Law of Identification

Prolonged connection or association with another (person, being, entity, etc) can result in becoming said person/thing, including holding their knowledge or power. In other words, possession is possible.

The Law of Personal Universes

Reality is only our perceived conscious understanding of the world around us (and within us). It's possible that "reality" means different things to different people.

The Law of Infinite Universes

The concepts that multiple realities can exist at once, whether that be your own (like "multiple/alternate reality theory") or yours vs another's (like your perception of reality being different than your friend's).

The Law of Pragmatism

If a belief system allows someone to cope, survive, or achieve their goals, it becomes "real," "true," and "sensible" to them.

The Law of True Falsehoods

It's possible for two belief systems to contradict but still exist at the same time. Basically, just because something doesn't make sense to you, it doesn't mean it won't make sense to someone else. This is like a TL;DR of the above 3 laws.

The Law of Synthesis

If two "opposing" patterns combine to produce a new pattern, that new pattern will be more true than the previous two alone. In other words, if two understandings of reality combine, the new understanding will be more "true" or reasonable/understandable because it applies to more realities and therefore can be believed by more people.

The Law of Polarity

Any pattern of data can be split into (at least) two "opposing" characteristics, and each will contain the essence of the other within itself.

The Law of Opposites

The "opposite" of something contains information about said thing, by providing information on what it is not. This creates control or power over it because you now have knowledge over it, even if through its opposite; once again showing how interconnected all existence is.

The Law of Dynamic Balance

Balance is key. To live life to its fullest, one must allow themselves to not fall into extremes so that they can experience all that life is and can offer.

The Law of Perversity

Murphy's Law. If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. Emotional stability and self-awareness can help avoid things becoming utter disasters.

The Law of Unity

Every phenomena in existence is linked directly or indirectly to every other one, past, present, or future.

I made this tarot cheat sheet after being inspired on tiktok <3 I hope this can help anyone who needs it!

im moving into a dorm for the first time in the fall so i wont be able to burn things. that means no candle spells. this whole summer i’ve been researching different ways of doing spells, since candle spells and jar spells are very popular right now and both are difficult without fire. knot spells and sigils have been piquing my interest, but as i looked at my glass of water, ice half melted, i had an idea.

ice spells!

the ice melts just as a candle will. you can add herbs, food coloring, sigils in water and freeze it. once it’s frozen you can melt it and that will be the spell! ingredients can also be added to already formed ice, which would be easier for closeted witches.

depending on the ingredients, the water leftover could be drank and used to make sure that the spell it attached to you. it could also be refrozen and reused!

i hope this helps other witches who live in places where they can’t burn candles!! if you can, maybe this will provide an example of other types of spells too.

Help! These D*** Cards Don’t make sense!

What To Do When a Tarot Reading Seems Like Nonsense

⭐️ First of all, we need to get a few things clear. Tarot won’t always make sense. You will make mistakes. Sometimes, you won’t get any messages at all no matter how hard you try. If this sounds similar to your experience with the cards, don’t feel bad. It doesn’t mean you’re a “bad” reader. As soon as you get more comfortable with the idea of being wrong, you’ll find that your confidence (and subsequently your readings) will improve a lot! Got that? Great! Let’s move on to the topic at hand.

Confused by your tarot cards? Don’t get discouraged.

⭐️ I’m just going to tell you plainly. There isn’t a single tarot reader in the world who hasn’t been completely baffled with their cards at some point. This is natural and a completely normal part of the learning process. What’s more, Tarot is one of those things that you never really stop learning more about. There is always room for growth, and for finding deeper meanings within the stories each card tells. So if you’re hoping to be a “Tarot Master” with omnipotent vision and 100% accurate readings about everything, then I’m afraid I must be the bearer of bad news: There’s no such thing. We’ll all be wrong or confused sometimes, and that’s ok.

Even so, there are a few things to consider if you find yourself bamboozled by your cards more often than not.

Reasons why your tarot cards don’t make sense, and what to do about it.

1. You’re cards haven’t been shuffled properly.

⭐️ This is a common culprit for readings that aren’t making much sense. If you don’t shuffle your cards enough, either straight out of the plastic wrapping or after too many readings, you won’t get any clear messages. This is especially true if you’ve been doing a lot of readings, and just quickly shuffling your pulled cards back into the deck afterwards. If you notice that you are getting a lot of cards from previous readings, and they aren’t making much sense, it might be time for a good shuffle.

What to do: If your deck is new, you’ll want to spend several days shuffling and getting to know the cards. This will mix up the cards enough for you to actually get messages, and help you become more familiar with the imagery of the deck (which will improve your intuitive readings).

⭐️ If you deck isn’t new, it’s likely that you just haven’t shuffled well enough in between readings. It happens. Just give them a good shuffle, and you’ll be set.

2. You don’t know the card meanings well enough.

⭐️ Wait! Don’t get upset yet! I’m not saying that you have to memorize the traditional meaning of every card, and use only that definition as the “be all, end all” of card interpretations. Far from it! That would be super boring. I’m also not saying that you can’t use the guidebook (you totally can). In fact, if you use your guidebooks, you’ll be able to learn the subtle nuances that each deck author attributes to the card meanings. It’s pretty neat stuff!

⭐️ However, a basic understanding of your cards and their key meanings will help you read accurately with consistency. A big part of intuitive reading is being able to recognize the symbolism within the cards. If you know a keyword for each card, you can use them as a starting point for your interpretations.

⭐️ For example: Let’s say you have the 4 of cups. Traditionally, it shows a moody figure, staring off into the distance, with spilled cups before them. Above the figure is often some sort of offering that they can’t see. If you know that a keyword for the 4 of cups is apathy, you could use the symbolism in the card to read it as “having lost interest in a situation”. The figure feels apathy for the situation he’s in, and is not interested in what is being offered. That’s an example of the traditional, symbolic meaning of the tarot in action. Ready to take this a step further? Once you know the traditional meaning, you can combine it with other cards, as well as the details of the situation, to “springboard” into other interpretations.

⭐️ Example 2: Maybe you know that “apathy”, the traditional meaning of the 4 of cups, doesn’t completely fit. In this imaginary reading, the client is asking you about an argument they had with their partner. They are hurt and upset, and have asked you if it’s worth it to stay in the relationship. Clearly, they are not feeling apathetic toward the situation! In this case, we would go beyond “apathy” or “loss of interest”. What is the energy of this card? Combining the imagery with the traditional meaning, we can generate other meanings. Stagnancy, miscommunication and an inability to see another perspective are all alternative, non-traditional interpretations. In this situation, I might tell this client that there is some confusion between them and their partner. Neither one has a clear understanding of how the other feels. Therefore, it might be a good idea to discuss the current situation with each other once they have both had time to calm down. The surrounding cards will usually help you fine tune your interpretation.

What do to: There’s no way around this one. Study the cards. In particular, the imagery of your deck will be very useful to become familiar with. Read your guidebook, read other tarot books and blogs, journal about your readings. If books are not your thing, there are countless YouTube videos and podcasts that cover tarot these days. My favorite tarot podcast is Tarot bytes by Theresa Reed. Pace yourself. You don’t have to learn everything in a week. Most importantly, read, read, read with your deck. The more you read, the more you will begin to understand how your deck communicates and how your intuition picks up on this subtle energy.

3. You are too emotionally invested in the outcome of the reading.

⭐️ This mostly happens if you are reading for yourself, but it can also happen when reading for close friends or family. Sometimes, if we are hyper focused on a particular outcome or in a state of reaction, it’s easy to project our own personal feelings onto the cards. This skews the interpretation. Its not a bad thing to read for yourself, your family or your friends. However, it’s a good idea to keep this point in mind.

What to do: If you are nervous, upset or in any way unable to remain objective about the outcome, it’s probably best to not do the reading. You can try again later when things are calmer.

4. You’ve ignored the focus question.

⭐️ This happens when a reader fails to take into account the “focus” or theme of the reading. For example, if a client asks you about work, and The Lovers card comes up, you should not tell them that they will meet their soulmate soon. This has nothing to do with what they were asking about. You’re more likely to encounter this problem when reading for others, but it can happen when reading for yourself.

What to do: An easy answer, stay on script. Keep the original question in the forefront of your mind during the entire reading. Like our example above, if you are reading about work, don’t start interpreting anything about romance. The cards are nuanced and varied enough to have multiple meanings. Instead, if The Lovers card appears in a work related reading, consider how the energy of the card might show up within the context of the reading. Instead of a “soulmate”, you might say that this client needs to find a harmony and balance between their home and work life. This is just one of many possible ways to interpret this card within the context of a work-related reading.

5. You’ve asked a question that is too specific OR that the tarot cannot answer.

⭐️ This can happen with both self-readings and readings for other people. Tarot is a powerful tool of self reflection and insightful divination, but it is not omnipotent. Further more, tarot readers themselves are not mind readers. We have to have context and understanding in order to see the connections clearly enough to interpret them with accuracy. With tarot, the more context we have about a situation, the better a reading will be. So for vague questions like “what will happen next Tuesday?”, a reader would need to supplement the reading with their intuitive abilities. It can be done, but the chance of misinterpretation is much higher if a reader is unsure how to weave the tarot and clair senses together.

⭐️ Some types of questions are ill-suited to tarot. Generally speaking, these would be questions that limit the ability of the seeker to act. “Will I pass my exam?” would not be a good question because it leaves no room for change or growth. A reader might struggle to interpret this correctly unless they are very experienced.

⭐️ Another type of question that you might see a lot are third party questions. For example: “Is person A having an affair with person B?” This type of question that doesn’t directly involve the seeker in any way is not useful with tarot. Most likely, you won’t get a clear answer or any useful information. Tarot is not a tool to be used to spy on others. In fact, it’s quite disrespectful to use the cards in this way.

What to do: A lot of this boils down to personal preference and reading style, but a good rule of thumb is to ask open ended questions. In this sense, questions that begin with “how” or “what” will be better than questions that start with “is”. Remember, tarot does not deal in absolutes. It reflects energy of situations and projected futures, and energy can change. Nothing is 100% certain with tarot.