How To Do Church At Home

Friendly reminders this morning.

•You don’t need a coven, an elder witch, a teacher, or anything like that if your path doesn’t call for it. •If you’re not sure how to do a spell, what an ingredient is, or why something is done a certain way, crack open a book, pull up those webpages, and get to researching. •If you don’t believe in yourself and your spell, it probably won’t work. •Magic doesn’t have to be big. You don’t need an entire room dedicated to doing magic. You don’t need endless amounts of herbs, crystals, tools, or candles. Work with what you have and let the intention be the most powerful thing you have. •Witchcraft is different for everyone. Just because someone practices a certain way does NOT mean that’s the only way.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Witches & Words: Deities

Language is more than a powerful tool; it is power itself. Every word has meaning and intent, and is spoken by willpower and action. Witches understand the power involved in communicating. This is a series about how to properly communicate with different entities.

Introductions:

Stay calm. Deities do not want to work with people who are not respectful of their Divity and power.

Be truthful and stick to your values. Do not lie about your name, experience, or values to a Deity. Unlike some entities where it is useful to never offer your true name, Deities demand a certain level of respect and honesty. You don’t want to anger Them.

Don’t make promises upon meeting. You can invoke, make offerings to, pray to, worship, and/or involve in a ritual a Deity without being devoted to that Deity. Devoting yourself to a Deity is a big decision that has a serious level of commitment, and you should never make a promise to a Deity that you can’t keep.

Ask what name you may call Them by! This is key because They may offer you a symbol or name to call Them by and invoke Them with.

Conversation:

Ask questions! Prepare a list of questions to ask. Nothing life-altering at first, just simple things. Ask Them how long they have been in your life, if They would appreciate an offering (and if so, what), or even if They could tell you a story.

Be respectful and receptive of answers. If a Deity doesn’t give you the answer you wanted, or even refuses to answer, respect that. Don’t try to push them to give you a different answer.

Be clear about your expectations. Be sure to clearly communicate what you need and want out of a possible relationship with the Deity.

Be respectful of the Deity’s time. If the Deity needs or wants to leave, let them.

Goodbye:

Thank the Deity for their time, knowledge, answers, etc.. Deities thrive with praise!

Say a clear goodbye! This is very important! Communicate that you are ending the conversation, and suggest a time or way that you may contact each other again.

After:

Make a small offering to the Deity. Don’t offer anything big; burning a few herbs or even the light of a candle would work fine. Just offer something to show your appreciation for the Deity.

Cleanse! Cleanse your altar, tarot, crystals, or whatever you used to contact the Deity. You don’t want the energy of that visit to interfere with future rituals or spells.

Watch for signs. A Deity may send signs after communication that they are there, so be alert!

Me: *thinks the gods didn’t come through this time*

The gods: *orchestrate some unbelievable, strange turn of events that coalesces in my prayers being answered*

Me: well alright then, guess I won’t be doubting y’all again...

I'm a big supporter of "the gods love you, regardless of how much you're able to do to worship them", but at the same time, it's difficult to forge a relationship with any deity (or even other people) if you don't allow yourself to be known by them. If you don't have moments of vulnerability, moments of silliness, moments of small joy even, then it's difficult to forge relationships or take them to a deeper level. Loving gods (or even other people) can be a scary thing for some people (hell, it was for me), but if you don't allow your heart to be exposed, even just a little, then you're not going to get back as much as you're hoping to.

Anything that's worth anything in life is going to require some level of risk, as terrifying as that feels sometimes, and in my opinion, having a deeper connection with a deity is one of those things that's worth the risk.

My point isn't that we aren't loved by the gods if we don't do a ritual everyday or pray every hour; my point here is that we cannot deepen our bonds if we aren't willing to dip more than just our toes into our deity relationships. Love your gods, and know that you are loved, but they can't really help you if you won't let them in, you know?

I'm back Witches!

When I say "connect with nature" I don't just mean the aesthetic forests with deer and beautiful flowers.

I mean the weeds growing through concrete, the fungus that grows on the rotten shed, the nettles that always seem to return and the scary, spindly cellar spider in the corner of the bathroom.

Nature is not always pretty or magical - the pigeons and seagulls you swat at are nature too, the wasps and flies that hover by your meals are animals too, store-bought strawberries and the leaves that fall from your neighbour's tree are not all that different from the Giant Sequoias and it's seeds.

If you want to connect and understand nature, I mean *really* connect to it, in it's entirety, you have to seek out and learn about the ugly, scary and mundane things as well. You don't have to like it, just don't forget that it's there.

Rainbow Magic

To work with the rainbow in magic is not much different as either using colour magic, or the magic of other natural phenomena such as the Sun and Moon. Rainbow energy can be raised by the homemade rainbow methods above, and then channeled into the working. Nevertheless, here are some ideas on how to use rainbows in magic.

Charging: Charging your tools, amulets, jewellery, journals, plushies, decks, and whatever else you can think of with rainbow energy. This can be done by placing it in rainbow light, charging them when there is a rainbow, or on a charging plate. You can also first cleanse your tools or items in the rain, before charging them with rainbow energy.

Candles: Candle magic using seven candles in the individual colours, or using rainbow coloured candles. There are also drip candles, which are white on the outside and drip in rainbow colours as they burn. These are great for revealing magics, where the "true colours" are revealed as the candle burns down

Poppet magic: Poppets are often made from fabric, yarn, wheat, or clay, the last of which can be coloured. Making a poppet of rainbow fabric or draping a rainbow across the poppet can be used to bring rainbow energy into someone's life, or bring joy, wonder, and happiness.

Sachets or envelopes: Making sachets or envelopes in rainbow colours to make talismans, or put photos and petitions in them to charge with rainbow magic.

Rainbow water: Charging water while there is a rainbow, in the same way you would make moon water. Another way to make rainbow water is to place a bottle or glass of water on a charging plate, letting it soak up those good rainbow vibes. Another way is to divide your water up into seven, and use food colouring to colour it. Drink those colours!

Clothes: Bring some rainbow magic into your life by wearing rainbow clothing, jewellery, or accessories.

Meditation: Use meditation to connect with the magic of the rainbow. Sit in rainbow light, or drape a rainbow scarf or piece of fabric around you. Meditate while there is an actual rainbow outside. You can also try and find the end of the rainbow in meditation. You can meditate on the rainbow as a whole, or on the individual colours. For example meditate on one colour every day and see what this colour brings you. Or do a breathing meditation where with each inhale, you inhale a different colour of light.

Body: Makeup and face paint are another way to practice rainbow magic. There are some really cool rainbow makeup looks out there (like I wore to my wedding!), or you can use facepaint to draw sigils, symbols, or just a whole rainbow on you. If you want it to be more permanent, there are so many beautiful rainbow tattoo designs out there. Use this to bring in rainbow energy in general, or focus it on specific spots for some extra healing and oomph. Nailpolish is also a great way to carry a bit of rainbow with you.

Kitchen Witchery: Rainbow foods. Just, rainbow foods. I have a pinterest board. They are so cool and fun.

Crystals: Above I mentioned some crystals which look like captured rainbows. Use them in magic, or use seven different stones for the seven colours of the rainbow. My favourite set is garnet, carnelian, citrine, aventurine, turquoise, sodalite, and amethyst.

Fabric Arts: weaving with colours, braiding seven colours together, knot magic with different beads knotted in the yarn, crocheting with rainbow yarn, rainbow friendship bracelets, there are a lot of ideas here.

Time: Not something I personally use, but there are seven days in the week, and seven colours in the rainbow. These facts can be combined to make magic.

Visionboards: Making visionboards are a great way to tap into rainbow magic and bring it into your life, especially if you also incorporate the words of the associations you want to use.

Inner Child work: Ever notice how so many toys are multicoloured and fun. How crayons and pencils come in the colours of the rainbow with a few added ones. Practice inner child work by playing. Just play, let out you inner gremlin and create or play without fear or shame.

Altar: Create an altar for your rainbow magic, rainbow entity, or just a "wonder altar" in general. Add things that bring that same burst of joyous wonder that you feel when you see a rainbow. Some ideas for your rainbow altar are rainbow candles, statues of rainbows (tip: Christmas ornaments!), pictures or art, unicorns, golden coins, pride flags, prisms, rainbow lights, rainbow roses (real or fake), crystals, art supplies, and bubble wands.

Music: Why are there so many songs about rainbows? (I had to) But Kermit was right, there are many songs about rainbows so why not make a playlist for your rainbow magic?

Sigils: Draw sigils with a rainbow pencil (remember those?), layer the different colours over one another, or draw pieces of the sigil in different sparkly pens to make them rainbow.

Galaxy Jars: These are jars filled with cotton balls, water, glitter, and food colouring. By packing the cotton tight these jars look like a galaxy. You can use one jar per colour, or make a layered jar with all the colours of the rainbow. I like to hide little pouches with herbs, sigils, and crystal chips in my galaxy jars to make them spell jars.

Natural dyes: Using dyes or inks made out of herbs, flowers, vegetables, plants, minerals and fruits can draw the energy of those materials into your rainbow magic as well.

Queer Magic: The rainbow has been inextricably linked to the queer community. Therefore rainbow energy can also be used in queer magic. for example in community protection spells, pride flag spell bottles (using Gilbert Bakers colour meanings), charming pronoun pins, and queer tarot spreads.

[Part of a Rainbowmancy series, masterpost here]

Super easy and cheap devotional acts for beginners.

A nice cup and some clean, fresh, water on the altar can often be all you need for daily offerings

Grow a plant on your altar, use your weekly watering as a devotional act. Hermes is currently helping my peace lily grow :)

Draw their sigil on your nails and then paint over them with nail polish that matches their color correspondences.

If you can’t acquire alcohol for your deities (wine, vodka etc) because you’re too young, white vinegar also works. The quality we’re looking for is the purification aspect. White vinegar is natural, antibacterial and never goes bad. You can leave it on your altar until it evaporates if you want.

If you work with a deity involved with self love like Aphrodite, investing a little more time into your skin care and scent can be very rewarding. Nothing super boujie, it can be as simple as getting some nice smelling lotion at the dollar store.

Food and water offerings don’t have to be external, especially if you’re in the broom closet and don’t have an altar. Reserve the first bite of your meal for your deity. Savour its taste while you think about them. Pour yourself a crisp glass of cold water and guzzle it as a devotional act.

Use a washable or dry erase marker to draw sigils on your shower wall for bath rituals. It’ll come right off when you’re done.

Tea bags are just bags of dried herbs. You can use these as offerings or draw sigils on them and burn them for witchcraft. No one is ever suspicious about a little tea. Adding a tea bag to your water offerings also gives them an extra kick.

A couple dollars at the thrift store will take you a long way. I love thrifting items because they’re usually well loved. I especially like thrifting spirituality books that past practitioners have written in. Sometimes my deities communicate with me through the books that are available on any given day. If I was just talking to Leviathan about the power of water and I see a book about Hydromancy, I know that he’s sending me a sign. Like, 90% of the books Lucifer has sent me popped up at the thrift store. Most expensive one was $7.99. (and I tag swapped it for 2.99 😊 thanks, Hermes-

and on this note, literally steal. Not from small local thrift stores, but I mean this with my whole chest, steal from Value Village. If you can sneakily swap a tag and get something for cheaper literally do it. Value Village gets all their inventory for free I literally do not care. Corporate thrift stores don’t deserve rights. I steal from Value Village as a devotional act to Hermes 😊 lmao )

If you don’t have money to spend on really nice paintings and posters of your deities for your altar, start buying books about them. It’s a double win. A book about Greek religion will certainly have multiple beautiful sculptures and paintings of Aphrodite that I can cut out and put on my wall. A book about angels might have a cool painting of Lucifer. Books about Goddesses, ancient religions, anthropology, astrology etc. You get the opportunity to learn, and if it’s a book you don’t particularly care too much for, you can take it apart for imagery. People ask me all the time where I got all of my paintings and pictures from. BOOKS.

Does your deity have a kind of complicated sigil that you love but you also kinda hate redrawing every other day? Sorry Cerberus (Naberius) I love you but that sigil is so complicated babe.

Learn how to block print! It’s very simple. You get a block of linoleum (usually pretty cheap, I think mine were like $5) , some ink (~$10), and a carving tool (varies depending), and make a sigil stamp! All you gotta do is draw your sigil and carve it out nicely one time. You can still bless it and imbue it with your energy, and you can easily put it on prayers, talismans etc.

Chalk is your best friend. Use it to draw sigils on the floor or wall that can easily be wiped away. You can imbue special chalk and use it for casting circles if you don’t like the mess of salt.

Let yourself be cringe in your worship!!!

The Gods don’t find you embarrassing. The Gods don’t care about seeming cool and professional for the approval of others.

Make that fucking aesthetic photo collage for Aphrodite with cute pics you found on Pinterest .

Dress up like Hermes and go for a damn walk.

Collect random stones you think are cool and put them on your altar.

Put that photo of that cartoon character that reminds you of your deity on your altar.

Make that Minecraft temple to Hekate, domesticate those damn Minecraft wolves for Cerberus.

Make your deities in the sims!

Write soppy melodramatic poetry for Dionysus that no one else will read.

Make self insert fanfics about your favourite Gods and write them all as your best friends. Let them interact with your edgy ocs.

Create an AU where you and your Gods are all characters from your favourite anime.

Record silly little songs for them

Make them paintings that are full of clashing colors and weird forms.

Draw them a fursona

Wear that bright yellow outfit for Apollon.

Put on a dramatic makeup look for Aphrodite.

Call your closest deity that silly little nickname you have for them and let them call you one too.

Share your special interests with your Gods. Design your God as a pokémon or a crystal gem, or a sonic character.

Those losers that try to make you feel bad for being passionate will never have what you have.

In the words of the Great Lord Hermes: “Every human I have ever liked was at least a little bit cringe”

BE CRINGE. BE PROUD. THE GODS LOVE YOU.