Bee Magick - Save The Bees

@be-not-afraid I hope you're having a good day, but I am curious on what you're referring too. I'm an inquisitive soul.

I miss the good old days of witchblr. Does anybody else remember like we could read whatever we wanted, and we could post about it? And sure, there were people that didn't care of the book or topic. The difference between then and now is that it was a discussion and not a beat down session. And then, people were kind enough to offer other book titles!

Also, we had a clear set of guidelines referring to cultural appropriation, and words or phrases that were frowned upon. Other then that, you want to be a Death Witch, go for it. A Sea Witch, have at it. A Storm Witch, power to ya. The lists goes on. Then, if we were curious about there practice we would ask genuine questions! If the practitioner maybe did something that maybe you didn't like or thought was borderline on the no no list, again you didn't beat them down, it was a discussion.

The ones that couldn't handle having a informal discussion were simply blocked and their comments were deleted. Or in some cases, the post was deleted, which was pretty common, and occasionally remade.

Also, side tangent, we liked the titles of the different witch types, because it was our niche and it was organized. Sure, you don't have to have a title or a certain practice, that's fine. As for me, I like having a title or a type because it keeps me focused on what I want to achieve. Plus, having a title made the witchblr tags so much easier to navigate.

I'm with y'all. Altars can be whatever and where ever. For me, in my bedroom, I have a special spot and its just an antique roll top desk, but its for my baby dragons, my crystals, and mostly for soothing my nerves. My other altar area (where most of my pictures are taken), is the dining room. That fluctuates constantly because of what I need to do for the day or of I'm doing my journaling. But it's a space where I mentally set up so I can get stuff done, or my ADHD will come in and I lose focus.

Been seeing a lot of 'you don't need an altar to practice' discourse and while I do believe that can be true for some practices, it is not true for mine.

Altar building is essential in my practice. I make an altar anywhere I worship. I go on a hike and want to offer the apple I brought? Then the stone I sit on is my altar. I want to do some yoga in the park? I bring some food, some water, and maybe a crystal or two. My altar is the dirt and the grass. I want to dance for Hathor in my living room? I move the things I need to the coffee table and that is my altar. My altars are constantly changing and moving. I am always building and taking down altars.

Yes, you don't *need* an altar to practice. Yet, there are so, so many more altars than a permanent one in a room.

Do I have a permanent altar? Yes. I have many. Do I use them? Honestly, barely at all. My most commonly used altars are the ones I build for a particular need and then take down after I am finished. Most don't even last two hours.

If you feel the need to have an altar for your practice, don't be ashamed to have transient ones.

Witch aesthetics: Sun witch

books upon books upon books

I have had good luck dollar stores and thrift stores, finding shiny trinkets and maybe a pretty candle holder or a pretty plate for offerings. Even all of the different candles you can get at Dollar Tree. But they're right too, use whatever you like that you already have at home. I like making crafts and origami. I feel that putting the energy, effort, and time to make something, and I bring that thing into my sacred space, it offers a deeper connection to my craft or practice.

What type of stuff do you put on altars? Budget and household items only please 😔

Telling the bees

The custom of "telling the bees" is a charming and ancient tradition where beekeepers inform their bees about significant events in their lives, such as deaths, births, marriages, and other major occurrences. This practice is believed to have its roots in Celtic mythology, where bees were seen as messengers between the human world and the spirit world. The presence of a bee after a death was thought to signify the soul leaving the body. The tradition became particularly prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries in Western Europe and the United States.

To tell the bees, the head of the household or the "goodwife" would approach the hives, gently knock to get the bees' attention, and then softly murmur the news in a solemn tone. This ritual was believed to keep the bees informed and prevent them from leaving the hive or dying. The custom underscores the deep connection and respect that people historically had for bees, viewing them as integral members of the household and community. (The Historian's Den)

I can easily see how you can turn this in a magical tradition with some little adaptation: plant flowers and plants for bees in your garden, invoke the spirit of the bees, keep bee-telling to the bee-spirits and take care for the plants. I am sure that one day the spirit of the bees will be your ally and that you will learn from it. And a big plus: you are helping the bees to survive in a world full of mono-cultures and poisons. Witchcraft and care-taking for your environment can go hand in hand if you wish to.

The mental gymnastics some of you do to justify and talk circles around your intense hatred of wheelchair users is nauseating

Weighing of the Heart Spread

In Ancient Egypt (and now through Kemeticism), it is believed that when the deceased arrived in the Duat, their heart was weighed on a scale against a feather of Ma'at's in order to see if the person was worthy of to live forever in paradise (if not, their heart was devoured by Ammit).

This spread draws from that story, and lays out what you need to know about yourself and what you need to do in order to grow!

1. How do you currently see yourself?

This card touches on your idea of yourself- do you see yourself positively or negatively? What do you think of your current self?

2. What are you really like?

Following up on the first card, this card brings up what you are actually like, not just your self image. How does it vary from what you see?

3. What are you balancing?

What are you able to do in order to see yourself as you truly are? What do you need to do to "balance" those two view points?

4. What does your ideal self look like?

This card touches on what your "perfect" or "ideal" self, and how they would look or act.

5. What can you do to actually grow?

Finally, this card brings up what you need to focus on in order to grow from your current self into your ideal self.