Birdies N Crystals | By _stalktheground_

Tiny opals 🔮✨

How to celebrate the Winter Solstice as a practitioner of Celtic (Irish) Paganism and witchcraft (the irish may not have been celts but our ancient customs are often described as Celtic)

•Collect Holly and make a clay wren to celebrate the defeat of Winter: Irish traditions often have different guardians to symbolise the Summer and Winter seasons. You may be familiar with Caileach and Bríd. But there are also other similar equivalents The mythical dark Holly King who rules the Winter , disguised as a wren, and his twin, the light Oak King who ruled the Summer, disguised as a robin. The Irish would kill a wren and decorate it with holly to represent the death of the Winter king. (This custom has been colonised by catholicism but the tradition remains)

Custom: You can now practice this ethically by making a wren out of biodegradable material and decorate it with wild holly.

•Wear a disguise: Similar to Samhain, in which the people wore masks to be concealed from evil spirits. During the day of the Wren the Irish would often wear masks and disguises. There are also plays that people used to preform around those times. Custom: Similar to halloween. There are plenty or ways to dress up. And theres no right way to do it. However here are some Irish people dressing up on Stephens Day.

•Celebrate the beginning of the sunny seasons: In Old Irish culture the new year began in October on Samhain. So rather than the new year, the solstice was most likely a way of predicting what type of year it would be for the crops. Custom: Do some divination, there is a lot of power in the shift from darkness into light. So its a good time to do tarot cards or divination. Though a lot of old irish divination was done using objects, weather and occurrences.

Collect some mistletoe: The old druids often collected mistletoe as it was known for bringing fertility to animals. Since a lot of this season has to do with the sunny weather and production of crops and food for the year ahead. Mistletoe is ideal for bringing fortune and blessings for the sunny seasons of the year. Custom: Try and find some mistletoe in the tree and cut it down with a golden knife and collect it in a white sheet.

DO NOT EAT MISTLETOE IT IS POISONOUS

Visit a well: there a lot of evidence to suggest that visiting magical wells was a pre-colonial tradition in Ireland. That was later claimed by the catholic church. There are still many beautiful wells that worshippers visit and put rags on the nearby trees. Custom: Find a local “holy” well with an ancient pagan origin and bring some organic rags to decorate a nearby tree.

Happy Winter Solstice!!!!

“I Don’t Hesitate When Necessary”

Meditate with this as needed or carry it with you

🌘- Low energy witch tips - 🌒

As someone who is often low on energy, I know the difficulties that can come with trying to maintain your craft. Especially if, like me, you’re hard on yourself about such things. So here are some low energy ideas you can use in your craft day to day:

🌕 - Pay a little more attention to the seasonings you put on your food or what you drink, you might be doing a bit of accidental magic already! Feeling like you need a little protection? Maybe use a bit of basil and a pinch of salt on your next meal if appropriate. There are tons of simple herbs and blended teas, smoothies ect. out there that can really help boost your day if you need them.

🌕 - Talk to your Deities or spirits casually. If they don’t mind it, that is, do be careful not to offend. Though it can’t be said for all deities or spirits, there are many that will appreciate being regarded even just with casual talk. Discuss things with them, talk about how your day went, things you are concerned over, whatever you please. They might even help with issues if they decide to do so or if they are capable and even if they don’t, most of them are at least pleased to be regarded, especially if you don’t have the energy to do much more than that on a daily basis.

🌕 - Sigils. Sigil everything. Though they cannot solve all problems, I have found that sigils are an effective way to combat a lot of the smaller issues in my life. They don’t require too much energy and there are plenty out there if you look for them, so you don’t even have to design your own. 

🌕 - Time spent researching is not time wasted. If you’re too tired to actually do any craft but want to do something involving it, perhaps try sitting down and doing some research. Read books, look on various websites, research things you’d never looked into before and you never know, you just might find something new that calls to you.

🌕 - Incense/fragrance magic. If you’re able to burn incense or scented candles then take advantage of it, find correspondences for the scents you have and light any that might help you in areas of your life you feel need to improve. If you can’t use those then perhaps you can find scented things for a bath/shower and relax with the scents those provide. 

🌕 - Commune using music. You’d be surprised how many deities and spirits enjoy music. Relax with some you feel will be appropriate, even if it’s not at all traditional and you just might find yourself surprised about what they can enjoy. 

🌕 - If you have to go out, look out for items that might help bring your closer to your craft. Going to the supermarket? Perhaps take a brief look in the herb section. If you have a patron deity that enjoys a certain food item then perhaps see if you can get some. It doesn’t even have to cost money if you’re lucky, sometimes you might simply find something on your travels (a feather, a certain stone that looks perfect, a pinecone) and it may work in some way towards your craft. 

🍂Other Leaves To Burn In Lieu of Bay Leaves And Their Properties

Source | https://www.instagram.com/mariathearcane/

Which is your favorite?

Elder - New Beginnings

American Elm - Love

Sassafras - Health

Maple - Longevity

Ash - Strength

Birch - Prosperity

A simple spell to release stress

When we hold on to excess stress, it creates a blockage in our personal energy system. Imagine that your is body filled with tiny, invisible wires that carry energy from one point to the next. When you hold on to stress in a certain area, you tie a knot in the wires that keeps energy from flowing smoothly to the rest of your body. This can manifest as fatigue, lack of motivation, overwhelm, or other mental and physical symptoms. This spell is designed to untie those knots and let the energy flow freely.

This spell is very loosely adapted from the book Light Magic for Dark Times by Lisa Marie Basile, which I highly recommend for anyone looking to bring witchcraft into their self care practice or vice versa.

What you will need:

A piece of white paper

A pen or pencil

A bowl or cup of clean, fresh water (water from the tap is fine!)

(Optional) a few drops of lavender essential oil

Performing the spell:

Set aside some time when you can be alone and won’t be disturbed. If you like, set the mood by lighting candles, burning incense, or playing music. If you chose to include lavender oil, add it to the water now.

On the paper, write a detailed description of the situation that is causing you stress, and of how it makes you feel. Be as specific as possible. What emotions do you feel? Are there physical sensations associated with these emotions? Where in your body do you feel them? (If you are more comfortable drawing than writing, draw a picture that represents your situation and how it makes you feel.)

Keep writing/drawing until you run out of things to say. Get a second piece of paper if you need to. Don’t worry about making it pretty or even legible. What matters is that you get the emotions out and onto the page.

Fold the paper in half, folding it away from yourself; rotate it to the left and fold it again; rotate to the left again and fold one more time for a total of three folds. With each fold, repeat out loud or in your head, “I acknowledge these feelings and I let them go. I release.”

Submerge the folded paper in the bowl of water. Make sure it is completely covered. Watch it soak through, and watch the ink bleed from the paper.

Say, “Spirits of water, keepers of emotion and the subconscious, spirits of healing, help me to cleanse and release. Help me restore my energy.”

Allow the envelope to soak in the water for at least an hour before disposing of it.

Gonna write a witchcraft book titled “Another Book on Witchcraft: Everybody’s Doing It and I Want to Feel Included”

Y’all asked for it so y’all gonna get it! I’mma start off with the barebones essentials and work my way to basic definitions. Sit down on something comfy and get yourself your warm beverage of choice and maybe grab a notebook because here goes.

What are runes?

Runic alphabets have been around since about 150 AD and used as a writing system by a lot of Germanic languages. These systems were eventually phased out, slowly but surely, with the progressive Christianisation that started around 700-1100 AD. The three most commonly known (and used?) Are the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark and Futhorc.

Runes aren’t, themselves, broadly meant for divination, thought there are a few passages in the Eddas that mention Odin “finding” and using them.

Alright, so which alphabet should I use?

Whichever one you want! I prefer using the Elder Futhark, because it’s the first alphabet I learned and got familiar with, but that doesn’t at all stop you from using the Younger Futhark or Futhorc. I’d heavily suggest making sure you read up on the differences in each alphabet though; Ansuz, for example, won’t look the same, mean the same or even be called the same from one alphabet to another. 

Familiarize yourself with each of them if you want/can, and choose based on your own preferences and criteria. Always work with what feels best for you!

But I’m not really familiar with Germanic traditions / I’m a baby witch, should or can I use runes for divination?

This is the concept that got my goat real good the first time. You do not, in any way, shape or form, need to be experienced to cast runes. This is a notion that is outdated and perpetuated by gatekeepers and exclusionists. No one gives a flying flip how long you’ve been practicing witchcraft, or if you even practice at all!

Divination should be seen as a tool to further yourself and/or your craft. It can be used by itself or in conjunction with other activities, practices or beliefs. I was 15 when I started learning about runes (dear god that was literally over ten years ago) and I had no idea what I was doing back then. I read up as much as I could about the system I was wanting to use and, once I was comfortable with it, I started doing small readings.

It shouldn’t matter how new or familiar you are to divination, rune casting or Germanic traditions. If rune casting feels right to you, you are more than free to use whatever divination method feels right to you.

What should I do before I start a reading?

As a Norse Pagan, I usually invoke my patron deities (Baldr and Loki, in this case), as well as Odin and Freyja, sometimes Gullveig/Heiðr because reasons. I have no idea whether or not this has any actual bearing on the reading itself, as mine were as accurate before I converted as they are now.

Making sure you’re in a quiet and/or comfortable space is also a good idea, even if that just means popping in some earphones and listening to something that makes you focus and feel calm.

This is also a good time to mention that cleansing your runes (stone, bone, wood or otherwise) is a very good idea. I typically do this with candles, incense, a bowl of water and a point of quartz for each element. I don’t do this nearly as often as I probably should, since most people suggest cleansing them after each reading… but, whatever, being lax with that hasn’t bitten me in the ass so far. So if you’re a spoonie, don’t worry: cleanse your runes when you feel they need to be cleansed, and that’s it.

Alright, I think I’m ready; how do I start reading?

Let me start by saying that the bullshit about never reading yourself? It’s just that. Bullshit. Do readings on yourself if you want to. Who the hell is going to stop you. Do whatever you want.

On that note, there are a few ways to cast runes, though these probably aren’t close to being the only ones: 

Intuitively choosing the stones Lay the runes down on a flat surface and let your hand hover over them and pick out the ones that feel right. You can either pick them in order of the spread you’re using, or place the runes where you feel they belong on the spread.

Throwing the stones Make sure you have a large flat surface to work with (preferably the floor honestly) where you won’t drop, scatter or lose a rune. You can use a mat underneath, and read the stones that fall on the corresponding positions in the spread or circle. (You can find many of these with a quick google search, or make your own mat!) Otherwise, you can take the first stones you see facing up and lay those out according to your spread.

Picking them blindly Either you or the person you’re reading pull stones blinding out of a pouch, bag or other container, and lay them out according to the spread you’re using. Pretty straightforward.

If you can think of another method, literally nothing is stopping you from using that instead. The runes are acting as a universal translator for whatever it is you’re tapping into. They’re just a tool to receive a message. How you choose to receive that message is completely up to you!

So I’ve got my runes laid out, now what?

Now comes the fun part. I can only really give you a good run-down of the Elder Futhark, and though it’s a good starting point, I would highly advise you do your own research on whatever alphabet you want to use. Wikipedia is a great place to start, but don’t stop there: look at several different websites and lists and compare. Combine and condense the information for yourself, and get to learn the definitions and meanings for yourself!

ᚠ Fehu • catle wealth, money, hard work paying off, can represent spiritual wealth reversed: effort gone to waste, natural and/or financial loss, greed

ᚢ Uruz • ox physical strength and speed, great energy, courage, masculine reversed: physical weakness, illness, violence, misdirected aggression

ᚦ Thurisaz • thor reactive, destructive and/or defensive force, tendency towards change reversed: dangerous compulsions, betrayal and malice, lies, spite

ᚨ Ansuz • of the Æsir  revelations, intuition, signs and signals, wisdom, power of words/names reversed: misunderstandings, delusions and vanity

ᚱ Raido • chariot physical/spiritual journeys, transition, seeing the bigger picture reversed: crisis, maybe due to stagnation, unwanted disruption

ᚲ Kaunan • torch creativity and inspiration, power of transformation, power of life reversed: instability, lack of creativity, false hope revealed, disillusionment

ᚷ Gebo • gift gifts in the form of sacrifice or generosity, contracts, partnerships reversed/opposed: greed, isolation and dependence, over-sacrifice

ᚹ Wunjo • joy comfort, pleasure, companionship, possibility of going over the top reversed: sorrow and alienation, growing distance, raging frenzy

ᚺ Hagalaz • hail wrath of nature, destruction for the sake of creation, natural order reversed: natural disasters, powerlessness, suffering

ᚾ Naudiz • need strength/growth from hardships, survival, determination reversed: deprivation and emotional starvation, constraints/restraints

ᛁ Isaz • ice challenges and frustration, psychological block, anticipation reversed/opposed: can oppose other runes with malice and treachery 

ᛃ Jera • good year hard work is fruitful, peace, happiness and relief, breaking the cycle reversed: sudden setbacks and bad timing

ᛈ Pertho • vagina secrets, mysteries, undiscovered abilities, choosing your own path reversed: stagnation, isolation and loneliness

ᛇ E/ihwaz • yew tree strength, stability, endurance, trustworthiness, your goal is realistic reversed: confusion, dissatisfaction and weakness of the mind

ᛉ Algiz • elk shield, the instinct to protect yourself/others, connection to the gods reversed: hidden dangers, loss of link to the divine, turning away

ᛊ Suwilo • the sun success and goals achieved, you have the power you need to succeed reversed/opposed: deception, false goals, gullibility, divine wrath

ᛏ Tiwaz • tyr honour and leadership, authority, success in competitions reversed: artistic block, over-analysis and sacrifice, imbalance/conflict

ᛒ Berkana • birch tree fertility in a broad sense, personal/physical growth, new beginnings reversed: family/relationship issues, anxiety over loved ones, abandon

ᛖ Ehwaz • horse steady and gradual progress, teamwork/loyalty, relationships reversed: reckless haste and its consequences, restlessness

ᛗ Mannaz • mankind the self, the human race, your attitude toward others and vice-versa, social awareness, altruism reversed: mortality, self-deception, cunning and manipulation

ᛚ Laguz • water literal/metaphorical flow, imagination, the unknown, chance of loss reversed: confusion/uncertainty, may be making the wrong choice

ᛝ Ingwaz • probably freyr warmth and love in general, tying loose ends, relief, freedom to move reversed: moving without change, fruitless effort, helpelessness

ᛞ Dagaz • dawn breakthroughs and clarity, security, power to change and grow, the ideal reversed/opposed: endings and coming round full circle

ᛟ Othila • inheritance ancestral property, what is most important, spiritual heritage and safety reversed: slavery, homelessness, bad karma, what one is unwillingly bound to

Phew! What a list. These are just brief descriptions and meanings that I’ve been able to compile and condense over the years.

But, what does “opposed” mean?

I see where you’re coming from. As a baby diviner, I, also, was confused by this. But let me explain how I’ve come to understand it! 

Sometimes, if you’re doing a set spread, you’ll have a spot for things like, “what will oppose you”, or “what you need to avoid”. Things like that. If, say, a rune like Suwilo was found in something like that, you’d want to try and keep a sharp mind to avoid deceptions or letting yourself be too gullible.

When runes don’t have a reversed form, their position in your spread will usually determine what they mean. (Though really this is true for literally any rune.)

Anything else I should know?

The best advice I can ever give anyone is to always do what you feel is right. If you find yourself wondering, “Should I do this? Is this right?” If you question yourself at all, you should probably not to the thing and go with something else.

It’s also important to mention that the names I have for the runes may not be the ones that you’ve learned to know them by; a lot of runes can go by different names depending on who you ask and where you look. Do your research, and know the runes by the names you feel are best! (And preferably historically accurate.)

As always, if you have any questions regarding runes and how to read them, please ask me! My ask box is literally always open and almost always empty.

ᚺᛖᛁᛚᛚ ∙ ᛟᚲ ∙ ᛋᛇᛚᛚ