Starting Out In Spirit Work

Tarot A History and Brief Overview of Spreads

A History

The tarot, first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi or tarock is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games such as Italian tarocchini, French tarot and Austrian Königrufen, many of which are still played today. In the late 18th century, some tarot decks began to be used for divination via tarot card reading and cartomancy leading to custom decks developed for such occult purposes. The word Tarot and German Tarock derive from the Italian Tarocchi, the origin of which is uncertain but taroch was used as a synonym for foolishness in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Playing cards first entered Europe in the late 14th century, most likely from Mamluk, Egypt, with suits of Batons or Polo sticks which are commonly known as Wands by those practicing occult or divinatory tarot, Coins which are commonly known as disks, or pentacles in occult or divinatory tarot, Swords, and Cups. These suits were very similar to modern tarot divination decks and are still used in traditional Italian, Spanish and Portuguese playing card decks. 

The first documented tarot packs were recorded between 1440 and 1450 in Milan, Ferrara, Florence and Bologna when additional trump cards with allegorical illustrations were added to the common four-suit pack. These new decks were called carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and the additional cards known simply as trionfi, which became “trumps” in English. The earliest documentation of trionfi is found in a written statement in the court records of Florence, in 1440, regarding the transfer of two decks to Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta.

The original purpose of tarot cards was to play games. A very cursory explanation of rules for a tarot-like deck is given in a manuscript by Martiano da Tortona before 1425. Vague descriptions of game play or game terminology follow for the next two centuries until the earliest known complete description of rules for a French variant in 1637. The 18th century saw tarot’s greatest revival, during which it became one of the most popular card games in Europe, played everywhere except Ireland and Britain, the Iberian peninsula, and the Ottoman Balkans. French tarot experienced a revival beginning in the 1970s and France has the strongest tarot gaming community.

Italian-suited tarot decks

These were the oldest form of tarot deck to be made, being first devised in the 15th century in northern Italy. The so-called occult tarot decks are based on decks of this type. Three decks of this category are still used to play certain games:

The Tarocco Piemontese consists of the four suits of swords, batons, cups and coins, each headed by a king, queen, cavalier and jack, followed by the pip cards for a total of 78 cards. Trump 20 outranks 21 in most games and the Fool is numbered 0 despite not being a trump.

The Swiss 1JJ Tarot is similar, but replaces the Pope with Jupiter, the Popess with Juno, and the Angel with the Judgement. The trumps rank in numerical order and the Tower is known as the House of God. The cards are not reversible like the Tarocco Piemontese.

The Tarocco Bolognese omits numeral cards two to five in plain suits, leaving it with 62 cards, and has somewhat different trumps, not all of which are numbered and four of which are equal in rank. It has a different graphical design than the two above as it was not derived from the Tarot of Marseilles.

Italo-Portuguese-suited tarot deck

The Tarocco Siciliano is the only deck to use the so-called Portuguese suit system which uses Spanish pips but intersects them like Italian pips. Some of the trumps are different such as the lowest trump, Miseria (destitution). It omits the Two and Three of coins, and numerals one to four in clubs, swords and cups: it thus has 64 cards but the ace of coins is not used, being the bearer of the former stamp tax. The cards are quite small and not reversible.

French-suited tarot decks

The illustrations of French-suited tarot trumps depart considerably from the older Italian-suited design, abandoning the Renaissance allegorical motifs. With the exception of novelty decks, French-suited tarot cards are almost exclusively used for card games. The first generation of French-suited tarots depicted scenes of animals on the trumps and were thus called “Tiertarock” (‘Tier’ being German for 'animal’) appeared around 1740. Around 1800, a greater variety of decks were produced, mostly with genre art or veduta. Current French-suited tarot decks come in these patterns:

The Industrie und Glück (Industry and Luck) genre art tarock deck of Central Europe uses Roman numerals for the trumps. It is sold with 54 cards; the 5 to 10 of the red suits and the 1 to 6 of the black suits are removed.

The Adler-Cego animal tarot is used in the Upper Rhine valley and its neighbouring hills such as the Black Forest or the Vosges, and has 54 cards organized in the same fashion as the Industrie und Glück. Its trumps use Arabic numerals but within centred indices.

The Tarot Nouveau has 78 cards, and is commonly played in France and is somtimes used to play Cego. Its genre art trumps use Arabic numerals in corner indices.

German-suited tarot decks

German-suited decks for Bauerntarock, Württemberg Tarock and Bavarian Tarock are different. They are not true tarot packs, but a Bavarian or Württemberg pattern of the standard German-suited decks with only 36 cards; the pip cards ranging from 6 to 10, Under Knave (Unter), Over Knave (Ober), King, and Ace. These use Ace-Ten ranking, like Klaverjas, where Ace is the highest followed by 10, King, Ober, Unter, then 9 to 6. The heart suit is the default trump suit. The Bavarian deck is also used to play Schafkopf by excluding the Sixes.

Tarot Card Readings

The earliest evidence of a tarot deck used for cartomancy comes from an anonymous manuscript from around 1750 which documents rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards of the Tarocco Bolognese. The popularization of esoteric tarot started with Antoine Court and Jean-Baptiste Alliette (Etteilla) in Paris during the 1780s, using the Tarot of Marseilles. French tarot players abandoned the Marseilles tarot in favour of the Tarot Nouveau around 1900, with the result that the Marseilles pattern is now used mostly by cartomancers.

Etteilla was the first to issue a tarot deck specifically designed for occult purposes around 1789. In keeping with the misplaced belief that such cards were derived from the Book of Thoth, Etteilla’s tarot contained themes related to ancient Egypt.

The 78-card tarot deck used by esotericists has two distinct parts:

The Major Arcana (greater secrets), or trump cards, consists of 22 cards without suits:

The Minor Arcana (lesser secrets) consists of 56 cards, divided into four suits of 14 cards each;

The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, The World, and The Fool. Cards from The Magician to The World are numbered in Roman numerals from I to XXI, while The Fool is the only unnumbered card, sometimes placed at the beginning of the deck as 0, or at the end as XXII.

Ten numbered cards and four court cards. The court cards are the King, Queen, Knight and Page/Jack, in each of the four tarot suits. The traditional Italian tarot suits are swords, batons, coins and cups; in modern occult tarot decks, however, the batons suit is often called wands, rods or staves, while the coins suit is often called pentacles or disks.

The terms “Major Arcana” and “Minor Arcana” were first used by Jean-Baptiste Pitois (also known as Paul Christian) and are never used in relation to tarot card games. Some decks exist primarily as artwork, and such art decks sometimes contain only the 22 major arcana.

The three most common decks used in esoteric tarot are the Tarot of Marseilles, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, and the Thoth tarot deck. 

The six most common Tarot Spreads are the;

Love Spread

Here is a little you should know about the ‘love’ spread. This type of reading evaluates the relationships relevance, how strong and happy they are. Every relationship has its ups and downs and with this six-card spread you will be able to evaluate your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual connections with your partner. The ‘love’ spread has its own 6 cards which represent the following:

#1-The first card signifies what you currently feel about your relationship, your approach, and your outlook.

#2-The second card represents your partners current emotions towards you, his attitude, and expectations about your relationship.

#3- The third card is a connection card. For example; common characteristics of both of you

#4– The fourth card indicates the strength of your relationship.

#5– The fifth card shows the weaknesses in your relationship.

#6– This final card is your true love card. It interprets if the relationship is going to be successful or not.

Success Spread

Briefly about the ‘Success’ spread; it is a remarkably situational spread.  It’s often used when a person is facing an obstacle or hardship. It can also be helpful if you don’t know how to face or overcome a problem as it will point you in the right direction.

#1- it helps you to find out about the true colours of the challenge in front of you. It will help you to identify what sort of skill set and resources you will need in order to not just solve but also overcome the challenge.

#2- this further clarifies on your current problems and challenges.

#3- The third card reveals the hidden factors affecting your current situation. You need to have knowledge about what these factors are to really overcome the obstacle you’re facing.

#4- The fourth card represents new plans, people, or objects that can help you grow further. By adapting yourself to these new aspects, your vision of the situation will change, leaving you with better solutions to your problems.

#5- The final card shows what requirements you need to fulfill in order to be proven successful and things you should avoid as they will lead you to failure. It will point you towards success if proven to be a positive card but in other cases it could be a negative card and will warn you about an upcoming disaster in your life.

Celtic Cross Spread

Despite its complications the ‘Celtic Cross’ Spread has stood popular for many years. This is most likely due to the fact that its importance lies in its difficulty. Each result of the Celtic Cross can be illustrated in a variety of ways depending on the direction of the of the fallen cards. Though not recommended for beginners, once anyone understands it, he or she can use this spread to find out the full depth of the situation. With enough practice it can it can be taken in use to find the answer to any problem. Celtic Cross deals with intricate situations.

#1– presents the current situation the person finds themselves in the and the reading is about the question they are facing.

#2– is placed over the first card, pointing to the left and is always read in an upright position. It shows what the basic challenge is that needs to be solved or the mental or physical object holding them back.

#3– The third spread reveals the subconscious influences. These strange influences have an extremely strong and powerful effect on one’s everyday life, especially in scenes relating to the question.

#4 – The fourth card shows what resources one has and the things they can use to face and solve the problem shown by the second card and in the process reach their ultimate goal, shown by the third card.

#5 – The fifth card shows the prologue of the scene. A negatively influenced past may have an effect that prevents their success on their current situation and they will need to let the memory go in order to stop it from negatively influencing their current situation so they can face and eventually overcome the problem at hand as shown by the second card. A positive past should be can simply be called inspiration. Even though the person may be facing a challenge in their current part of life, the problem

They are up against is natural growth of the positive past they had the benefit of experiencing and after they have overcome all their challenges, things will look even brighter than they were in the past.

#6 – The sixth card is the headlight. If the card states there is some form of negative energy on the way the five previous cards should give a good reasoning of why this is taking place and what we could do to prevent it.

#7 – The seventh card represents the person’s attitude. It illustrates your physical actions, thinking and ideals regarding the current problem. This will give you more to work with into whether the person’s attitude is conducive to a likable outcome or whether it’s time to retrack the way the person perceives the information.

#8 – The eighth card is an energy card. It talks about the energy surrounding them and the energy other people and the environment is letting off and if these energies are helping in any shape or form.

#9 – The ninth card tells us about what the person’s desires and fears. This is a revelation card. It gives importance to the things a person should be aware of in their current situation and might change the way a person acts which should not be neglected by them.

#10 – This is the final outcome and emphasizes on the energies, if they are complementing or conflicting. It also tells the person about the future that will take place immediately and if it is necessary or not to face the future.

Spiritual Spread

Similar to the Success Spread, the Spiritual Guidance spread is used when faced with problems that are of a spiritual nature. These sorts of challenges are usually related to spirituality in a person.

#1 – The first card represents your main concerns. You may think you know about the problem but this spread goes more in depth with it.

#2 – The second card looks into your motivation for looking for guidance.

#3 – The third card looks into the things about your life you are insecure or worried about.

#4 – The fourth card emphasizes on the parts of your life that you are not aware of.

#5 – The fifth card is your advice card as it will guide you to the steps to face your fears. It ties in with the previous cards.

#6 –The sixth card guides us to a life with no worries so that we could move forward on our spiritual journey.

#7 – The seventh card teaches you to deal with the situation with the resources you have at hand.

#8 – Finally, the eighth card finishes the Spiritual Guidance Spread by telling us that the result of the tarot cards all depends on our reaction to it whether we focus on the positive or negative.

Career Path Spread

This spread is for times where we feel left out on our career. We work hard hoping for a promotion but to no benefit. It helps us with these kind of challenges that we face in our professional life.

#1 – The first card basically asks us if our job that we have right now is indeed our ideal job

#2 – The second card emphasizes on the actions we must take to further boost our career. A positive card means we should stay at the same position we are in right now whereas a negative one means we should make some changes.

#3 – The third card tells us about certain things about our job that we can no longer alter. The card may tell you to look for a job in the same category we are working in right now.

#4 – The fourth card refers to our skills on our job to see if they’re enough to get us a promotion or if we are behind everyone else.

#5 – The fifth card tells us about the things we can do in our career to improve and start a new one or just small things we can do in our current career to at least get noticed.

#6 – The sixth card gives us the answer to the question that if our past mistakes are influencing our career now.

#7 – The final card tells you that if the card is negative it might lead to a bad outcome as it might result in you making other bad career choices.

However, if you aren’t sure of the outcome, use the card again after a few days or weeks to see if the reading changes as your attitude changes.

Three-Card Spread

The simplest and the most useful spread, ‘The Three Card Spread’ only uses three cards. This is what makes it the most popular. This is one of the most powerful spreads and can find answers for you really quickly for almost anything, let it be overcoming a problem or an obstacle or if you are simply just feeling lost or left behind.

Linear 3 Card Tarot Spreads

As you can imagine, this layout is good at suggesting some sort of linear path, sequence of events, cause and effect, or a way of getting from point a to point b.

Past, Present, Future

You, Your Path, Your Potential

You, Relationship, Partner

Situation, Action, Outcome

Idea, Process, Aspiration

Balanced 3 Card Tarot Spreads

In this layout, each card of the spread has a common intersection. They are all equally important, like three sides of a pyramid. Without any of these, the whole structure collapses.

Mind, Body, Spirit

Physical State, Emotional State, Spiritual State

Subconscious, Conscious, Super Conscious

Option 1, Option 2, Option 3

What I think, What I feel, What I do

Foundational 3 Card Tarot Spreads

I think think one is a little harder to explain, but I like thinking of these spreads being communicators of advice in a way such that “given X and Y, the result is Z”. X and Y attempt to give you a clearer understanding of options, and Z is a summary, a crux, a way to move forward given the information that is there. In fact, even when phrasing these spreads, I like saying them in a way that follows this formula to make the point clearer. The bolded items represent the actual card positions.

Given your strengths and weaknesses, this is my advice.

Given what worked well, and what didn’t work well, this is the key lesson.

Given that this brings you together, and that this pulls you apart, you must focus on this.

Given that you want this from the relationship, and your partner wants this, your relationship is heading towards this.

Given Option 1 and Option 2, This is what you need to know to make a decision.

Crossed 3 Card Tarot Spreads

As the layout would imply, this is about understanding conflicts and obstacles. The card that crosses over is something that stands in the way and that needs to be overcome, something that blocks you from attaining your ultimate goal, while the third card acts as a sort of advice card, looking at the situation from a more distant viewpoint. These can also be used as simpler 2 card spreads if you want to use only the crossing cards.

Situation, Obstacle, Advice

Aspiration, Obstacle, How to Overcome

Opportunities, Challenges, Outcome

Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis

I will be doing card meanings on a later date :)

Spotting a Malevolent “Guide”

When first getting into any type of entity work, one of the first things people tend to do is look for some sort of guide. Be that a Higher Self, patron deity, spirit guide, guardian angel, whatever you want to call it- just something more powerful and knowledgable than us to keep us on the right path.  I believe most entities are generally good, or at least aren’t motivated to harm us. That said, there are those with something to gain from taking advantage of us. A practitioner in search of a guide is a juicy target, because they’re often inexperienced and naive. Consider everything we’re willing to do to please someone we consider a mentor. Here’s how to spot a phony:

There’s a bad feeling in your gut. This is the first and most important one on the list. If something feels off, something feels wrong, even if there’s no obvious reason why, listen to your gut. It’s the most energy-sensitive and accurate tool you will ever have.

Their identity is shady. This is especially true if they’re claiming to be a deity or any big entity with a name you’ve heard before. A deity should have no qualms just saying who they are, whereas an impostor may try to dance around saying it explicitly. They may pull a “you know who I am” or just confirm whatever you give them. Asking them to prove their identity for your own security should never be offensive. 

They’re isolating you from other sources. Are they encouraging you to avoid certain books, certain (not harmful) activities and people? Watch out. By making themselves your only resource, they keep you from learning info that would expose them and keep you reliant on them. Mentorship shouldn’t equal total dependence on them. 

Their instructions are harmful. There’s something to be said for doing something outside your comfort zone, but there’s a clear difference between that and something destructive. If a “guide” is telling you to harm folks (including yourself,) mess with your diet in an unhealthy way, abandon helpful behaviors, etc., then that entity does not have your best interests in mind. 

You’re giving more than you’re getting. The relationship is more about what you’re giving them, how you’re serving them, and doing what they say, but you aren’t actually learning anything. Your growth is not proportional to what you’ve been putting in to receive their guidance. They may keep delaying your lessons or only dolling out #wisdom instead of useful advice. You’re stuck constantly trying to ‘prove’ you’re ready. 

This spirit is bad news! What do I do?

Don’t blame yourself. It happens to the best of us, and getting duped or manipulated is never your fault. Consider it a learning experience.

Tell them to leave. The deal is off, you’ve caught onto their bs, and it’s time for them to leave you alone for good. Lots of spirits will willingly peace out once they’ve been caught. If they refuse to leave…

Banish them. Break out the sage bundles, the candles, the heavy metal music, whatever you need to do. If you need, ask a trusted friend to help. Even online pals may be willing to just send you some energy. 

Cleanse everything. Cleanse your space, cleanse your tools, cleanse yourself. Get rid of any lingering energies the phony may have left.

Ward everything. Set up your security system so that the phony can’t return, and other fake guides can’t get in. 

Tattle. If the phony was claiming to be a deity or another entity with a name, feel free to let the real entity know. “Hey Apollo, there’s a harmful spirit ‘round these parts who’s claiming to be you.” Rest assured they will handle it accordingly. 

Historically Sacred Items/Offerings to each of the Ouranic Theoi! I made this for my Hellenic polytheism group on discord, so I thought I’d share this information with all of you as well.

All information has been taken from theoi.com as well as various historical books on the gods, and I have decided to make this powerpoint so that other people don’t have to sift through all the pdfs and books themselves.

Make sure to click each image to get a fullview! Ευχαριστώ!

Spirit Work: Beginners

Working with spirits is a fun experience in my opinion, but definitely comes with a risk. You’re meeting someone new, and there are “good” entities and “bad” entities and entities in between, just like with anything. Working with spirits requires some preparation, and may be easier for some and very difficult for others. I personally had to train quite a long time to get to where I am and I am still learning a lot even today.

Preparation Stage

1. Warding

Knowing how to ward is so important in witchcraft in general, and this is definitely no exception. Please make sure to have strong wards around yourself and your mind. A spirit with bad intentions can definitely hurt you or possess you against your will if you are not careful.

Note: Ward against all spirits, even the ones you trust. You deserve your own space and there are going to be times when you want to be alone. This is so important.

2. Learn about yourself

This may sound strange but you need to know who you are before working with spirits. This way, you can tell the difference between when you feel them around or your own energy, and the same with trying to hear/see them vs. your own thoughts.

To do this, meditate as much as possible. If you can end up meditating at least a few minutes every single day, that’s awesome. Focus your meditations at first on quieting your mind and focusing on a single random object in your mind. Visualize it and observe the details. How it smells, feels, tastes, sounds. Usually I do this with an apple. Something simple. Once you feel like you can do this comfortably, then begin exploring your current emotions. Identify as many as you can. You can dig deeper if you would like, trying to see what underlying emotions you carry that can cloud your readings, both telepathy and divination. Explore your energy- what color does it look like to YOU, not what others have told you? Everyone sees things differently, so you need to see how you see.

I could go into more detail about this but that will have to be a whole other post. This is such a big part of spirit work and your own journey that I cannot stress it enough. The more you know yourself, the easier it will be in a lot of your workings in witchcraft.

3. Trust yourself, be confident

Doubts and fears cloud readings, both physical and mental. Your intuition will become clouded if you do not trust yourself. It is good in my opinion to have a little doubt and to not be too confident, but it is a delicate balance. It’s hard to explain how much is too much, so the one way I can put it is allowing the first thought be your instinct. The thoughts that come automatically tend to be the instinctive ones.

4. Learn what is instinct, and what is yours

This is important as well. I briefly mentioned it in the previous point. A good idea to practice this is begin with divination- for example, tarot cards have basic meanings, but also should be interpreted with intuition as well. Learn to listen to that intuition in your divination and not only will it help you with listening and identifying spirits, but also will help you with your divination techniques. Definitely an awesome double whammy! Don’t forget, tarot is NOT the only way to talk with spirits!

5. Learn how to banish

Just in case you come across a spirit who wants to hurt you or will not leave you alone even if you ask it to, you need to learn how to banish it. There are many ways you can perform a banishing- it highly depends on your own abilities and what is easiest for you. Some people have a lot more power in words, while others need to make a spray with herbs and oils. I highly suggest doing some research on banishing and find what works best for you.

6. Find a communication method

Once again, everyone is different. Some work better with pendulums (I personally don’t like using them), while others use tarot or another method. Getting to the point of seeing and hearing a spirit takes a while for some people, and that’s ok. It took me almost four years to get to the point where I can comfortably see and hear spirits with my third eye.

For anyone, I highly suggest using some sort of divination method to read what spirits are telling you. Pendulum, runes, and tarot are most common. Keep in mind, when you use these for spirit communication, you will need to avoid putting your own energy into them so the reading doesn’t get mixed up or end up reading you instead. Practice reading other people first to help with this.

Spirit Stage

So now about spirits. Once again, remember, spirits have their souls. They have emotions. They make choices. They have personalities. This means they are capable of both helping and harming you. I don’t really believe in “good” and “evil” since it is relative to everyone’s beliefs. Instead, I believe that every spirit is capable of positive and malicious intent. Please remember this: Spirits can hurt you. But also, don’t judge a book by its cover. Just be cautious.

How do I get in contact with a spirit?

I would suggest starting with a deity you trust and feel close to. Deities have an energy that can be easier to read, and you may already have a relationship with this deity. You can also reach out to spirits in an area that you feel is safe.

First of all, with any entity, you should remain respectful and treat them like you would any person you meet for the first time. Introduce yourself (out loud or projecting gently through your mind is fine) and ask if they would like to introduce themselves. Use your divination method to help receive answers.

Trust your intuition. If you feel unsafe, say goodbye and ward up more. Banish them if they won’t leave you alone.  Give yourself a good cleanse as soon as you can.

But also, trust your intuition in how the spirit feels as well. If you sense they are uncomfortable, apologize and back off. Some spirits are shyer than others- others may not feel like interacting.

Don’t feel frustrated if your first few tries are unsuccessful, it happens! This is one of the most difficult skills to get in my opinion, and can take a while to master.

I also highly suggest having a look at this pretty good thoughtform post

Good luck and I hope this helps!

Spirit Work: Red Flags!

Spirit work has always been a huge part of my life, ever since I was a wee two year old toddling around my grandmother’s house. In my two decades of talking to the otherworldly, I have run into horrible spirits and gotten into toxic situations. Evil spirits (and morally grey ones) can and will deceive you. This is a list of signs that the spirit you’re interacting with is toxic or may hurt you.

1. You feel anxious, scared, or a sense of foreboding when interacting with them or when they are around.

This is also known as a sense of dread. Some spirits have heavier energies, but if you are feeling dread, trust your intuition and BANISH immediately. Cut all contact.

2. The name they give you keeps changing.

Some spirits have personal reasons to not give you their true name. This can be a red flag sometimes, but not all of the time. However, having a name that never stays the same is a red flag. It’s a form of deceit and manipulation. 

3. It’s too good to be true.

If a spirit comes to you like “YOU ARE THE MOST POWERFUL HUMAN EVER, I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU” or some over the top theatrical stuff, it’s usually a trick. Don’t let them in your life. This isn’t to say that a spirit coming to you and claiming to know you or want to help you is always bad, but be wary.

CW: assaulty, abusive stuff next

4. They manipulate how you feel towards them.

Some spirits, typically those that feed off of sexual energy, will put you in a haze. You will see no wrong in what they do. You may be very sexually attracted to them out of no where or somehow just give in to their advances. This can also take the form of unhealthy levels of dependence and even worship.

5. They manipulate how you feel towards others.

Just like humans, bad spirits want to isolate you and make you more vulnerable. You may find yourself getting into more fights with friends or family. You may have several falling outs and not know why. The spirit will literally be a voice just telling you everyone is horrible and against you.

6. They hurt you.

This can be emotional, psychological, or physical. Scratches, bruises, bite marks, sore limbs, all of it can happen. They can break you down emotionally and break you psychologically. This is usually coupled with gaslighting.

7. They make you feel powerless.

These spirits know they can be banished, so they will make you think that you’re too weak to do so. They make you give in and give up.

8. Unwanted switching/possession/oppression.

Once they have enough of a hold on you, these spirits will literally take over your thoughts. They can even take over your words and actions. Switching is a common thing in spirit companionship, but non-consensual switching is a huge red flag.

What do I do if there are red flags?

Remember that you are always in control. You are the conjurer, you are the medium. No matter how powerful a spirit claims to be, you can always get rid of them. Banish them and ward yourself. Step away from spirit work and tune out of the other world until you recover. Focus on the mundane until you have healed.

Samhain Spirit Offerings

With Samhain fast approaching the veil is thinning and the spirits are increasing. To honor and respect your ancestors as well as wayward spirits, here is a list of offerings appreciated by most spirits. You may find that a particular spirit asks for something specific so keep an open mind.  

Light: The plane that the spirits are on is often confusing and difficult to navigate. Lighting candles is a good way to guide lost spirits through our realm.

Incense: This has a cleansing affect and often a pleasant smell. Friendly spirits will know they are safe in your home if you burn incense.  

Milk and Honey: There are many foods you can leave out for spirits but milk and honey is always a winner in my experience. 

Fresh Baked Breads and Pastries: This is especially good if you baked it yourself. If part of your offering involves time and effort, spirits will be grateful. This is a good way to show your care and respect. 

Rosemary: This herb represents remembrance in the language of flowers. If there is a deceased relative you have on your mind, rosemary is a good offering. You can burn it, bake it into something, or just place it on your altar or outside your home. 

Apples: Another name for Samhain is the Feast of Apples. This fruit is seen as food for the dead and makes a good offering on this holiday. 

Pomegranates: This food is associated with death because of Persephone’s descent to the underworld. If you practice Hellenistic witchcraft, this is an ideal offering. 

Mulled Wine: Spiced wine is a symbol of Fall and Samhain and alcohol is often appreciated by spirits.

Fresh Food from Your Garden: This year Samhain falls on the Harvest Moon so it would be appropriate for you to offer your harvest to local spirits. 

How to Cast a Circle using the Elements✨

Materials:

Salt

Yellow candle (Air) 💨

Green candle (Earth) 🌎

Blue candle (Water) 🌊

Red candle (Fire) 🔥

Purple candle (Spirit) 👻

Lavender

Sage

Casting the Circle

You don’t always have to cast a circle to do spells but it is very helpful to do so especially if you are wanting to use the elements to help cast your spell.

Clean up the area you are planning to use.

Place candles in the correct order. Place the green candle (Earth) facing North, the yellow candle (Air) facing East, the red candle (Fire) facing south, the blue candle (water) facing West, and finally the purple candle (Spirit) in the middle of the circle.

Make a circle with the salt but make sure you are inside the circle before closing the salt circle. (This is to protect you and to keep anything from leaving the circle)

Now light the sage and cleanse the area in your circle. (Sage is used to banish negative energy)

Next light the lavender and cleanses the area in your circle. (Lavender is used to bring in good energy)

Begin my facing East. Pick up the yellow candle (air) while lighting the candle say “Air I invite you to join this circle” place it back down and turn clockwise to call all the elements to the circle.

Face South, pick up red candle (Fire) while lighting the candle say “Fire I invite you to join this circle” place it back down turn clockwise.

Face West, pick up blue candle (water) while lighting say “Water I invite you to join this circle” place it back down and turn clockwise.

Face North, pick up green candle (earth) while lighting say “Earth I invite you to join this circle” place it back down and turn clockwise.

Facing the center pick up the purple candle (Spirit) while lighting the candle say “Spirit I invite you to join this circle” place it back down and turn clockwise once more.

Once this is completed you have your circle and may proceed with the speed you intend to cast.

Closing a Circle

Once you have finished casting your spell you must always close your circle and you must make sure you do it in the correct order! This is very important!!

Turn to Spirit pick it up and say “Thank you for your help” blow out the candle place it back down and turn counterclockwise.

Turn counterclockwise to the north and pick up the green candle and say “Thank You Earth for your help” blow out the candle and place it down.

Turn counterclockwise to the West and pick up the blue candle say “Thank you Water for your help” blow out the candle and place it down

Turn counterclockwise to the South and pick up the red candle say “Thank you Fire for your help” blow the candle out and place it down.

Turn counterclockwise to the East and pick up the yellow candle say “Thank you Air for your help” blow the candle out and place it down.

Once you have thanked all the elements for their help in the correct order above you may break your salt circle from the inside. Do not step outside of the circle until you have broke it.

Happy Casting & Blessed Be 💜

Here is my full collection of PDFs I currently own and I’m still looking to expand this list. On this google drive you find a vary of tabs of subjects. 

Some tabs are empty as I am still looking for PDFs for them!

If you would like to submit a PDF please do so in my Submission link! Please read the guidelines and make sure the PDF isn’t in there already. 

Reader Beware! I have not read all of these books/pdfs (I don’t have enough time too) so I cannot guarantee the quality of each one. If you feel like one of the PDFs may be problematic for a number of reasons though, please send your concerns to my ask box. 

CIRCLE CASTING 101

A magickal circle is an energetic construct that you build or envision around yourself before working magick, doing a ritual, some like to cast a circle before meditating or reading tarots. For a solitary practitioner the circle is typically 5-6 ft in diameter, but the size expands based on the size of the group. It can be defined physically, energetically, or both.

Circles provide protection and serves as a container for your personal energy as well as the energy you conjure.

Please remember that this is just what i personally like to do when casting a circle, but that there are many methods.

Preparation for circle casting

1. Determine how much space you will need.

2. Cleanse your area. Vacuum, sweep, throw away any trash in the area.

3.Make sure you have everything you need for your ritual! Theres nothing more frustrating than having your circle casted and realizing you’ve forgotten an herb or any supplies you need for the work you’re about to do.

4. Purify your area. Light purifying incense, sage, sprinkle salt and holy 💧. Most importantly, Visualize the negative energy dispersing. If you don’t focus & visualize, your physical actions will have little effect. Visualization is hands down one of the most important things in any and all magickal workings!

5. Now its time to cast your circle!

Visualize protective energy coming from within you and direct it towards your casting arm. Focus it through a casting tool (Athame, wand, or ✋)  and visualize a beam of energy coming from it and settling on the ground. Trace your circle with this energy, 3 times in a clockwise direction. Once for protection, once for focus, and once for power.

Call the 4 quarters

Face North and say “I call to the North, to the element of Earth. Grant me (us if not practicing alone) your endurance, your strength.”                                  Sprinkle salt onto your altar or crumble soil into a bowl on your altar.

Face East and say “I call to the East, to the element of Air. Grant me your creativity and your intuition.”                                                                             Light incense, wave a fan,or drop feathers onto your altar.

Face south and say “I call to the South, to the element of Fire. Grant me your passion and your energy.”                                                                                 Light candles.

Face west and say “I call to the West, to the element of Water. Grant me your empathy and your emotion.”                                                                              Pour blessed/storm/moon/natural water into a bowl or into your chalice.

Now would be the time to call on any deities you’d wish to work with. You can call any Goddess or Angel by personalizing this to them. I typically do not personally work with deities, but if you were to want to, Call to them similar to how the Elements are called. Ex. “I call to Gaia, Mother Goddess, Spirit of Earth.” and then place an offering symbolizing them, so for Gaia you might place  grain on your altar as an offering.

If not solitary, now would be the time to invite others to the circle. The group leader typically invites others in by a series of phrases, although i know every coven has their own method fine tuned for themselves, This is just the method i’ve seen used and am familiar with.                                                                    Group leader:”Children of the Goddess, I now invite you to enter our circle.” Each member will be asked “How do you enter this circle?” The response should be “In perfect love and perfect trust.”

Now its time to raise energy. This is the most important part of this process. It is so important because when you open your circle at the end of spellwork, You release all of your energy you have filled with intent out into the universe to go manifest whatever it may be you have called to. You want as much energy as possible to be released carrying your intent!

Here are a few ways! There is no wrong way to do this part, and there are SO MANY ways. You can fine tune this all to you. Remember that this is your ritual, and you want your energy fully behind everything you are doing. This is all customizable, most of all the energy raising.

-Witches Rune Chant

“Darksome night and shining Moon,

East, then South, then West, then North,

Hearken to the witches’ rune;

Here i come to call thee forth.

Earth and Water, Air and Fire.

Wand and pentacle and sword,

Work ye unto my desire,

Hearken ye into my word.

Cords and censer, scourge and knife,

Power of the witches blade waken all ye unto life,

Come ye as the charm is made.

Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell, Lend your power unto my spell,

and work my will by magic rite.

By all the power of Land and Sea, By all the might of Moon and Sun,

As I do will, So mote it be;

Chant the spell, and be it done.

Eko, Eko Azarak

Eko, Eko Zamilak

Eko, Eko Karnayna

Eko, Eko Aradia”

-Meditating to raise energy. Visualize energy building and building by visualizing warm, yellow light fill your body until its expanding out of your body and filling the dome above your circle. visualize it filling with energy until you are content.

-Music or Drumming, Dancing and Chanting.

Once you reach your desired energy level, it is time to get into whatever spellwork or ritual you desire to preform!

After your spellwork, its time for Cakes and Ale. I like to make little spirit cakes and have some red wine after a ritual. Expelling all of that energy from your body is draining, and you should take your time to enjoy this part of the ritual. Set a cake and some wine aside for the entities who have lent you their energy as thanks. Cakes can be anything, from saltine crackers to cupcakes. Ale can be water. Anything that works for you is ok. For my cakes, i bake a shortbread and mix whatever ingredients i want into the dough. This way, I can craft them with the intent for whatever ritual i may be doing.

ONCE YOU FINISH YOUR WORK SAY GOODBYE TO THE ELEMENTS AND THANK THEM FOR THE POWER THEY BROUGHT. ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE AND THANK ANY DEITIES CALLED ON. 

HERE IS HOW I DO IT:

-Farewell to Goddess. ex. “I thank you, Gaia, for gracing me with your glory. Farewell and Merry met.”

-Farewell to Quarters (Counterclockwise). 

“My thanks to the element of Water, Your compassion was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Now cover your dish of water or pour it out, Physically say goodbye as well.

“My thanks to the element of Fire, Your fierceness was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Douse your candle. 

“My thanks to the element of Air, Your wisdom was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Douse incense/flip fan/turn over feather.

“My thanks to the element of Earth, Your protection was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Cover earth with a cloth, or return it to ground.

I like to walk the circle the opposite way of its casting three times, and voila!

Keep in mind that this is just my method! There are many methods and this is just one of them.

I hope this is helpful to you! 

-Love and light, @lapiscat

Herbs By Correspondences

There’s an awful lot of posts/websites that have lists of herbs by name which is great if you want the correspondences of lavender but not so great if you’re looking for herbs that correspond with health. So here:

ANIMAL MAGICK:

Catnip, Peppermint, Valerian

ASTRAL PROJECTION:

Cinnamon, Jasmine, Mugwort

BEAUTY:

Lavender, Rose, Catnip, Orange

CALMNESS:

Cypress, Vanilla

CONCENTRATION:

Rose, Rosemary, Thistle, Dill, Orchid

CONFIDENCE:

Cedar, Dill, Geranium, St. John’s Wort, 

CLARITY:

Lavender, Cypress, Clover, Rosemary

CLEANSING:

Lemon, Clover, Sage, Lilac, Cedar

DREAMS:

Peppermint

EMOTIONAL HEALING:

Cypress

EMOTIONAL OPENNESS:

Orange, Orange Blossom

FERTILITY:

Sunflower, Olive, Poppy, Daffodil, Oak, Honey

FEMININE ENERGY:

Daisy, Maple, Poppy, Rose, Thyme, Blackberry

FIDELITY:

Nutmeg

FRIENDSHIP:

Lemon, Sweet pea, Passion Flower

GOOD MEMORY:

Rosemary, Clove

GROUNDING:

Coffee

HAPPINESS:

Lavender, Catnip, St John’s Wort, Peppermint, Oregano, Saffron, Honey

HARMONY:

Orange, Orange Blossom

HEALING:

Lemon, Cypress, Allspice, Saffron, Cinnamon, Cedar, Thyme, Violet, Spearmint, Peppermint, Sunflower

HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS:

Vanilla

HOPE:

Chamomile

JUSTICE:

Nutmeg, Violet

LONGEVITY:

Lemon, Cypress, Acorn, Sage

LOVE:

Lavender, Violet, Apple, Chamomile,Saffron, Cinnamon, Clove, Clover, Lemon, Juniper, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Vanilla, Strawberry, Rue, Ginger, Mistletoe, Thyme, Maple, Spearmint, Willow, Orange, Orange Blossom, Sugar Cane

LOYALTY:

Thyme

LUCK:

Vanilla, Chamomile, Nutmeg, Allspice, Violet, Strawberry, Olive, Poppy, Rose, Oak, Orange, Peppermint, Straw, Strawberry

LUST:

Celery, Cinnamon, Mint, Lemongrass, Sugar Cane, Olive, Nettle, Parsley, Dill, Violet, Vanilla, Saffron

MASCULINE ENERGY:

Allspice, Almond, Basil, Garlic, Hazel, Holly, Olive, Mistletoe, Cedar

MOON:

Lemon

MONEY:

Nutmeg, Peppermint, Jasmine

PEACE:

Lavender, Violet, Olive, Chamomile, Coffee, Clover, Passion Flower, Orange, Orange Blossom

PEACE OF MIND:

Coffee

PROSPERITY:

Orange, Orange Blossom, Onion

PROTECTION:

Lavender, Coffee, Oak, Clover, Acorn, Violet, Peppermint, Acacia, Willow, Thistle, Peony, Cypress, Lilac, Mint, Juniper, Ivy, Olive, Raspberry, Sage, Rose, Rosemary, Foxglove, Cranberry

PSYCHIC POWERS:

Celery, Acacia,Saffron, Cinnamon, Yarrow, Peppermint, Bay, Thyme, Mace, Star Anise, Lemongrass, Nutmeg, Bay

PURIFICATION:

Rosemary, Lemon, Saffron, Chamomile, Anise, Thyme, Parsley, Cedar, Turmeric, Peppermint, Lavender, Marjoram, Orange, Orange Blossom, Honey

RELEASE:

Peppermint, Spearmint, Fern, Mugwort

RENEWAL:

Peppermint, Spearmint, Ivy

SLEEP:

Celery,Thyme, Peppermint, Valerian, Chamomile, Passion Flower, Lavender, Rosemary

SPIRIT CALLING:

Sweet grass, Wormwood

SPIRITUALITY:

Arabic Gum, Gardenia, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Frankincense

STABILITY:

Orange, Orange Blossom, Onion

STRENGTH:

Oregano, Saffron, Thistle

SUCCESS:

Cinnamon,Ginger,  Frankincense, Clover, High John, Strawberry

SUN:

Lemon, Cinnamon, Orange, Orange Blossom

TRANQUILLITY:

Chamomile, Cypress

WILL POWER:

Orchid

WISDOM:

Sunflower, Peach, Sage

WISHES:

Bay, Sunflower, Violet, Spearmint, Sandalwood

-

This post is not even close to complete but I intend to continue expanding it as often as possible