Life Is For Taking Therapeutic Walks And Being In Your Own Bubble And Reading Books In Bed And Drinking

7 Ways to Strengthen Your Powers

In my coven (for lack of a more suitable translation), we learn the craft to become powerful. Not to have fun. Not to just try it. Not out of curiosity. But to use it as a weapon. The way the 1% use money as ammunition. And while the depth of our teachings are hidden, here is how it all begins.

1) Record Your Dreams

They are a portal to the future, parallel realities and other worlds. Keep a journal on your nightstand. Every morning, list down everything you saw and heard in your dreams. Dates, names and entire scenarios. Reread your journal every couple of weeks to see how the symbols manifested in your life. This is you learning to harvest prophecies in your sleep.

2) Log Your Predictions

If you read the cards, take a photo of every spread and write down your interpretation. If you scry, record your every vision. Leave a space in your notes so you can come back at a later date and comment on the correctness of your predictions. The more clearly you can see where you went right or wrong, the more you can strive towards precision.

3) Analyze People

When you interact with people, take the time to gaze at them and really listen to what they are saying. Soon enough you will be able to know what is going on inside their mind. You will catch gestures, expressions and intonations that reveal their true intentions This logical exercise will awaken the magical side of mind-reading that may be latent inside you.

4) Embody Confidence

Whether you are extroverted or introverted, find your inner beauty and greatness, and give them a chance to come out of hiding. When you are confident in who you are, other people’s energy are drawn towards you, fueling your spirit. You also attract the attention of nearby entities who may choose to reveal their presence to you and grant you favors.

5) Level Up Your Spellwork

Most of the spells you will find on the internet serve as therapeutic activities that may make you feel better psychologically or emotionally, but have no real magic in them. I recommend acquiring a copy of Witchcraft: A Handbook of Magic Spells and Potions (2016) by Anastasia Greywolf. It is a good introduction to authentic spells from all around the world.

6) Learn Your Natal Chart

The sky when you were born is a map of your gifts and strengths. A great dancer will never torture herself for not being able to sing well. Song is not her craft, movement is. You too must hone the skills you have the potential for. Astro-charts is easy to navigate and offers a free service with the option to switch between different astrological systems.

7) Find Your Divination Method

Not everyone will be great at reading tarot or Lenormand. Perhaps your true talent lies in evoking visions from a crystal ball… in calculating the future through the stars… or in seeing one’s destiny by looking at their palms. I recommend The Divination Handbook (2019) by Liz Dean for an overview of your options.

Pagan Wedding Flowers (and other plants) Cheat Sheet

Flowers have been associated with weddings for almost as long as humans have been getting married. In fact, the use of flowers in ritual may actually be older than humans! Neanderthal graves in Iraq suggest that Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers. There are mentions of flowers in our earliest recorded accounts of weddings, such as in Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Historically, couples would have used whatever flowers were available to them. While some cultures had flowers they preferred for weddings because of their symbolism, couples would have been limited by what grew in their area and by what was in bloom at the time of their ceremony. To be truly as historically accurate as possible, consider using flowers you grew or foraged yourself. Bonus points for native blooms!

For those who aren't into growing or gathering your own wedding flowers, modern florists and greenhouses allow us to choose from a wide range of flowers, many of which aren't native to our homes. This makes it much easier to choose flowers based on their symbolism, history, or cultural meaning.

Historic Wedding Flowers + Plants

Roses have been the flower of choice for Western weddings pretty much forever, and with good reason. The rose is associated with several ancient goddesses of sex, fertility, and/or romance, such as Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus. (Later, medieval Christians would also associate this flower with the Virgin Mary.) Including the goddess's flowers in a wedding may have been a way of invoking her blessing on the union. Sappho called rose "Queen of the Flowers."

Roses are held in a high regard in pretty much every culture with access to them. They're strongly associated not only with love, but also with beauty, wholeness, blessings, and even spirituality.

Rose was included in wedding celebrations in Ancient Hellos (Greece) and Rome. It is associated with the planet Venus and the water element.

Wheat was also a popular inclusion in weddings in ancient Greece and Rome. Hellenic brides would carry sheaths of wheat or another grain to invoke fertility and good fortune. Wheat was strongly associated with agrarian goddesses like Demeter, Persephone, Ceres, and Proserpina. Carrying wheat may also have been a way of expressing a wish for the marriage to produce many children. Pliny the Elder explicitly says in his Natural History that wheat was included in weddings to honor Ceres.

In modern occult systems, wheat is associated with fertility, the conception of children, and wealth. It is associated with the planet Venus and the element of earth.

Olive branches also featured in Hellenic weddings. Olive was an important crop in the ancient Mediterranean, and olive branches were a symbol of peace and friendship. Olive was also used in the victors' crowns in the Olympic Games. In Athens, the olive tree was a symbol of Athena. It was also carried by worshipers of Apollo when they visited the Oracle at Delphi. Olive was also important to the Romans, who associated it with Mars in his aspect as a protector of peace.

In modern magic traditions, olive is associated with beauty, healing, stamina, wealth, fertility, protection and of course, peace. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Orange blossoms were included in Hellenic weddings as a sign of happiness. These strongly scented white flowers also sometimes appeared in Roman weddings. Thousands of years later, Queen Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms at her wedding, but for her they were a symbol of chastity.

In modern systems, orange is associated with joy, partnership, sweetness, and good luck. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Hawthorn appeared in weddings in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder said that Roman bridal processions included a hawthorn torch dedicated to the goddess Ceres. In Rome, hawthorn was more generally associated with love and good luck.

In Celtic cultures, especially Ireland, hawthorn was believed to be a fairy tree. For this reason, cutting a hawthorn tree or bringing hawthorn branches inside was considered bad luck.

The blooming of hawthorn trees was used to determine the date of Bealtaine, and hawthorn boughs were often decorated with flowers, ribbons, and egg shells to make a May bush, which was placed by the front door for good luck. In Britain, hawthorn wood was used to carve maypoles. Hawthorn flowers may be especially appropriate for a May wedding or handfasting.

In modern occultism, hawthorn is associated with protection, healing (especially healing the heart), romantic love, fertility, granting wishes, and happiness. It is still strongly associated with weddings and marriage. It is associated with the planet Mars and the fire element.

Lotus may have featured in ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) weddings. The lotus was an important symbol in Kemetic religion, and was associated with the sun, rebirth, and the creation of the world. Lotus flowers featured in festivals to honor Hapi, the androgynous god of the Nile. The lotus is used in art to represent Upper Egypt. An Egyptian poem from 1100 BCE connects the lotus to marriage.

Lotus flowers were also popular in ancient Chinese weddings, and they're still used by some Chinese couples today. In Chinese culture, lotus represents purity, honor, and long life.

In modern traditions, lotus is associated with protection, spirituality, and blessings. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Yellow flowers were used in pre-Christian Ireland for blessings and protection. The exact flower used for these rituals is not specified, so it seems like the color was what mattered. Modern pagans looking to carry on this tradition have lots of yellow flowers to choose from. Some popular choices include yellow roses (see above), yellow amaryllis (associated with creativity, playfulness, and joy), chrysanthemum (associated with long life, optimism, and protection), marigold (associated with happiness, rebirth, and vitality), and/or daffodils (associated with love, fertility, and luck).

Modern Wedding Flowers

We've gone over some of the flowers that were popular in historic pagan weddings, but it's also easy to pagan-ify the flowers that are most popular in modern weddings. Here's a quick rundown of some popular wedding blooms and their neopagan and occult symbolism:

Peony is associated with purification, healing, prosperity, and success. In ancient Rome, peony was believed to be sacred to Mars. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Dahlia is associated with mystery, occult wisdom, and transformation. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Lilac is associated with balance, peace, romance, protection from evil, and attracting friendly spirits. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Sweet Pea is associated with comfort, charm, and sweetness. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Hydrangea is associated with healthy boundaries, breaking negative patterns, hex breaking, and protection. It is associated with water and with both the moon and Neptune.

Tulip is associated with beauty, desire, gratitude, love, prosperity, and simplicity. It is associated with Venus and the earth element.

Orchid is associated with beauty, elegance, sexuality, fertility, and romance. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Lily is associated with spirituality, beauty, harmony, and protection from the evil eye. It is associated with Venus and the water element.

Carnation is associated with beauty, love, rebirth, strength, and healing. Carnations are associated with same-gender love and especially love between men because of Oscar Wilde's fondness for them. They are associated with the sun and the fire element.

Gardenia is associated with love, peace, healing, and spirituality. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Resources:

"New Neanderthal remains associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar Cave," Cambridge University Press

"History of Wedding Flowers" by Benna Crawford

The Roman Wedding by Karen K. Hersch

"The Olive in the Ancient Mediterranean" by Mark Cartwright

"The History, Mythology, and Offerings of Hawthorn" by Meghan Pivarnik

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

The Magic of Flowers by Tess Whitehurst

The Magic of Trees by Tess Whitehurst (see my disclaimer about Whitehurst's books, but these are some of her better ones)

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

the sexual tension between me & the alternate reality I daydream about

Hey, so I understand that your intentions are good, but if we've never really talked, I'd appreciate you not sending me overly familiar asks, such as roleplaying physical affection. I don't know you, and if I ran into you in person I would not want to have physical contact with you.

This isn't directed at any one person -- I've had a few such asks at this point, and at least one fairly unsettling parasocial situation, so I'm asking folks to respect this boundary.

Types of spells

I honestly think my introductions annoy people and… will continue doing them uwu. Hi witches around the world! While trying to create a spell (im a baby witch, i do not create spells at all) i remembered that types of spells exist so here is your types of spell post!

Incense Spell

This spells don’t last long, for realizing them you have to burn incense and when it finishes burning its done. Generally its used for yourself but doing it for other people might work too.

Candle Spell

One of the most common spells out there, basically you use candles and should consider colors and sizes! (post about color magick: here)

Sigil

Is a drawn magick that puts your intentions in a paper, generally you can create them or if lazy you can look in tumblr for some other witches sigils!

Spoken Spell

This is a chant, phrase, etc with intention in mind. Even though it doesn’t sound really powerful, if you put energy in it… it would be big!

Energy Spell

Is basically putting all your energy into an intention, it could drain you a little bit so if you’re doing it, give you a self care time after.

Bag/Bottle Spell

This spells are the type of jars/bag/bottle full of different things, they can last longer and you can take them with you to anywhere!

Crystal grid 

A crystal grid is basically placing different crystals in an specific way for all their energies to work together. 

That was basically it! Hope it helped someone jsj

Hogwarts Houses common rooms in Halloween season 

Thought this would be loved here…

Eliienkind

Autumn 🍂 or spring 🌼 ?