Vegetarian Summer Pesto Ravioli

Des' healing foods: Cinnamon Sugar yellow squash

Normally it’s tea, but sometimes you need a little more than tea to get you going.

Right now, I’m sick. This is a recipe my aunt gave me, it’s not a lot of magic, bit it’s a lot of love.

What you need: • crook neck yellow squash, small • one table spoon cinnamon • 1 ½ table spoons white or brown sugar • two table spoons butter

What to do: ○ cut squash into small rounds, cutting larger rounds into fourths or halves so they cook evenly. ○ place squash into a medium pan with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. ○ cook on medium-high heat to the butter and sugar don’t burn. ○ cook until squash is tender. About 15 minutes.

What my aunt says when she makes this for me: You’re going to feel better, don’t you worry little one.

BETTER SHIT TO PUT IN YOUR GRIMOIRES THAN THE BASIC SHIT EVERYONE SAYS:

Maps! Maps! MAPS! If you're a death witch, get one for the cemeteries you visit and mark gravestones/areas you've practiced in! Garden witches! Map out your gardens! Green witches! Map where you find specific herbs in your area! Lunar witches! Mark the best spots to go look at the sky! Make a key! Take notes!

Recipes for COMPONENTS! Write down how to make the mixtures you use in spells often- A special salt mixed with herbs and put under the moon, a mixture of oils for protection, the herb mixes sachets you keep making to add to sachets, whatever!

For green witches- press samples of stuff and glue them in! Go to an arboretum and ask for permission to take leaves to press, they'll usually let you take some- add them in with your notes about trees

Cool ways to make spells! I make spells in envelopes and on empty spools, what are some ways you do?

The local plants in your area and what they do. You're not going to be likely to find chrysanthemums to forage in Missouri, but you will find creeping charlie and prairie plants. What can you do with a thistle?

When you celebrate a sabbat, write down what you did and include samples! Ribbons from your Beltane altar, a pressed sample of your lemmas harvest, a scrap of your Yule decorations. Maybe do a spell and tape the remnants into your grimoire in a plastic baggie

Learn how to make an envelope out of paper just by folding it, how to string seeds, how to dry plants, how to macrame rocks and hang them from your window. Find those little witchy skills and write them down.

How to incorporate your hobby into your magic. Sigiling origami paper, weaving knot magick into your crochet, making blessed bookmarks, etc

Substitutes! Rosemary, rose and clear quartz are good for most things, but there are more substitutes to be used that are more powerful. Roanoke bells are good substitutes for bluebells, apparently.

Correspondences of odd things. Turns out different kinds of cats have different correspondences, huh.

Superstitions and such from where you're from.

For kitchen witches: easy to alter recipes. An egg noodle recipe that takes herbs really well, a simple bread recipe that can be dressed up for spells or rituals, how to make a good pie crust that you can sprinkle nutmeg in or whatever you desire.

Or: What foods go good with what herbs. You'll make a better apple pie (and get the benefits of apples, nutmeg, and cinnamon together!) If you know how your herbs taste together with your cooking. (Most kitchen witches know this stuff, but for a green witch who likes to make teas or a sea witch that likes to make soup, etc, this is important)

To the menstruating anon, try raspberry leaf, rosehips, and hops (individually) or together in herbal infusion! (Fairly sure there a little to no medical implications to these herbs) ♡

Witchy teas~ Thank you for the tips ^^

(Also, because I forgot about this earlier, be sure to double and triple check any herbs and their effects on the body / hormones / mind / what have you before ingesting!)

To The Witch Who Doesn’t Feel “Witchy” Enough:

✨You are divine.

✨Witchcraft isn’t a competition.

✨Differences should be celebrated, not lamented.

✨You contain multitudes. Your feelings and perceptions may fluctuate, but you will always be you.

✨What another witch says about you says more about the witch than it does about you.

✨Taking a break from practicing witchcraft doesn’t mean you are taking a break from being a witch.

✨You are what you are, and that is pure magic.

If you go for a walk in the forest, remember these ten things:

If you pass by a ring of mushrooms, don’t step in the circle, but do tell the mushrooms your dreams. They love to hear stories.

If you see large, foreboding pawprints in the middle of the trail, do not follow them; the path leads only to sorrow and despair.

If you hear the lull of a flute by the bubbling of a river, you may listen, but not for long; if you linger, you can never leave.

Be sure to keep any items you bring secured in your rucksack, with a few seashells hanging from it; the crashing waves from the shells will scare off thieves.

Return home before night falls. You never know what might appear when the forest is cloaked in darkness.

If you do stay after sundown, do not look at the stars. They are temptresses in their beauty, but can bring death and destruction.

If you come across wildlife, avoid eye contact. Some creatures may steal your soul if you stare long enough.

Never pass under a gnarled, curling tree, for you may enter a world that looks like your own, but is different still.

If you find a jar of honey or jam resting upon a boulder, ignore it. There are those who would tempt you with sweet nothings; don’t accept their gifts.

Mark a trail from your starting point with plain yarn. If you cut the trees, they’ll come for you. If you tie a ribbon on branches, they’ll capture you.

Be wary of the forest and all of its inhabitants. It is beautiful and wondrous, but can be frightful and merciless.

Comforting Tea Spell

If a friend shows up at your doorstep in tears or distraught and is looking for comfort, brew her a witchy cup of tea by imbuing it with your intentions: visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by your cup of tea as she drinks it. As a witch, your intent carries great power through your actions. You perform everyday actions with intent and become more attuned to yourself and the way things work in the world around you. By learning to channel your desires through the spellwork you do, you will manifest happiness, joy, and abundance in your life. 🍵

For the tea blend, you will need:

Lemon Balm

Mint

Chamomile flowers

Lavender

Rosemary

Any additional add-ins you wish to brew into your tea based on your intentions, such as cinnamon for luck, ginger for strength, or sugar for sweetness

For the Spell:

Steep the tea blend in a tea pot or in a loved mug. As it’s steeping, stir the contents with a spoon clockwise and imbue your intent into the tea. Visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by the tea, or imagine her delight when she tastes the tea.

Add any additional spices, herbs, or sugar you’d like to add to the tea now. Consider their magical associations. Add a pinch of cinnamon for luck, or a pinch of ginger for strength, a pinch of thyme for courage, or a pinch of rosemary or salt for protection. Add sugar for sweetness if desired, for both taste and sweetness in mood.

Stir the tea, three times clockwise, one final time and recite: “With tea and spell, and help from above, all is well, light and love.” Then tap your spoon on the mug or teapot three times to seal the spell.

Serve the tea lovingly to your friend or loved one.

The Witch at Lammas

This post is the fifth in a series of posts exploring and celebrating witch archetypes at the eight seasonal festivals.

Lammas is a festival celebrated on August 1. It is descended from the festival of Lughnasadh, an ancient Celtic festival of Pagan origin. Still celebrated by many Neo-Pagans, Lughnasadh is one of the four “fire festivals.” It is the celebration of the first fruits of summer and it has long had connections to both the grain and hay harvests. It is named after the ancient Celtic sky god, Lugh. The “-nasadh” of Lughnasadh means something like “an assembly”, so the phrase “Lughnasadh” can be taken to mean “the assembly of Lugh” (sometimes translated as “the games of Lugh”).

Lughnasadh is traditionally associated with summer fairs. In ancient times, the “assembly” would have been a great fair, with food and games and opportunities for trading and other financial exploits. This tradition has never died out. It is still common to see fairs throughout the British Isles and even the United States and Canada during this time. Traditionally, Lughnasadh would have lasted two weeks.

With the Christianization of Europe, Lughnasadh became Lammas, its new name meaning “Loaf Mass”. Lammas celebrates the grain harvest, which is honored by making loaves of bread from the freshly gathered wheat. These loaves of bread were blessed by priests during Lammas services. These blessed loaves could then be used for folk magic. Superstitious farmers would break the loaves into quarters and hide them in the corners of their houses or barns for protection.

One theme that is prevalent throughout these celebrations is that of sacrifice. The tale of Lughnasadh is one of tragic death. According to an old Irish legend, the goddess Tailtiu, the foster mother of Lugh, cleared the great forest of Breg with an axe to make the plains of Ireland. These plains became fertile farmland. She wanted to provide for her people. However, the work proved to be too great and when she finished clearing the forest, she died. In her honor, Lugh established a festival of funeral games, which would become Lughnasadh. The Paleo-Pagans who inhabited what is now Britain and Ireland would have honored this festival by lighting great bonfires and giving sacrifical offerings to the gods.

Lugh is associated with the sky, but he is also a god of sovereignity and battle. It was he who slayed the giant Balor and threw his eye into the heavens to create the Sun. Even in his sky “aspect”, he is still a god of skill and war. Ancient depictions of Lugh typically show him wearing a torc and holding a spear. The torc is a symbol of sovereignty - he is a god of kings and rulers - and he holds the spear - a tool of war. He is a god of skill; his wars are not the foolish all-destructive wars of modernity, but are the skilled battles of old. He is truly a god of warriors.

The grain of Lammas is a symbol of sacrifice. Consider the drinking song “John Barleycorn”, which personifies the grain as a man who is murdered and cut to pieces. The grain and all the other first fruits of the harvest season fall at Lammas. The year is in decline. According to legend, in ancient Ireland, an old or senile king , no longer useful as a ruler, would be sacrificed at Lughnasadh. Whether this is a historical truth is a matter of some debate, but this theme still maintains its power.

The Christianization of the festival links it with Christ’s suffering on the cross and also his associations with bread and grain. According to the Bible, it was he who died to cleanse mankind of its sins. He is often called a sacrifical lamb. It was prophesied that he would be born in Bethlehem - the House of Bread. It was he who made the fishes and loaves multiply. It was he who said to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and what is his flesh but bread transfigured?

Because sacrifice is a predominant theme in the Lughnasadh/Lammas holidays, let us discuss the witch as warrior. Despite some claims that witches cannot and should not do harm to others, the historical records say otherwise. There are multiple, notable accounts of witches using their craft to defend their homes and loved ones.

We could discuss warding, but that topic is oft-discussed I do not see a need to go more in-depth about it here. Let us discuss, instead, three specific historical examples of practitioners using the magical arts to protect themselves and others.

In this short space, it would be impossible to describe all the accomplishments of Welsh mathematician, astrologer, and occultist John Dee. A Renaissance man in every meaning of the word, Dee was the court magician for Queen Elizabeth I. It was Dee who helped plan expeditions to the New World. It was Dee himself who coined the term “British Empire”. So, when Phillip II of Spain attempted to invade England in 1588, it was said that John Dee took action. According to legend, Dee used his occult knowledge to cast a spell on the Spanish Armada. Of course, the Spanish Armada was scattered by great winds and did not invade England.

Less than 400 years later, it is said the witches of England helped to drive away the invading Nazi forces during the Second World War. According to Gerald Gardner, a great gathering of witches occurred in the New Forest on the eve of the Nazi invasion. These witches came from all over Britain to cast a spell on the Third Reich. The witches commanded the Nazi planes to not invade and many died in the process, or so the legend goes. Like the Spanish Armada, the Nazis did not invade Britain. Despite the raids, England never fell to the German forces. One does hope that the current generation of witches will follow their lead and use magic to strike back against tyranny.

In the 1960s, Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg published his work The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. In this highly influential work, Ginzburg examines reports of the Benandanti, a group of magical practitioners who lived in Northeastern Italy in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The phrase Benandanti means “the good walkers.” By their own reports, the Benandanti rose (“walked”) from their own bodies while they were sleeping and fought off dark forces. These dark forces were witches, called the Maladanti (“the bad walkers”).

According to the Benandanti, who testified before the Inquisition, they fought the witches at night with fennel sticks. They did this on certain Thursdays to protect their crops. The nighttime visions of the Benandanti have been tied to the Sabbat-visions of witches throughout Europe during the same time period. The testimonies of the Benandanti led Ginzburg to conclude that they were members of a sort of “fertility cult”. Ginzburg’s work was considered controversial upon its first publication and continues to spark debate.

This Lammas, let us remember what it is to defend those we love. You does not need to be a solider to fight for the things you care about. You can be a scholar, a dreamer, a mystic - you can be an ordinary person and affect great change. With a bit of magic and a sense of determination, you can fight for what you believe in and win.

Hey if any of you guys are interested in demonology at all to any extent, grimoire.org is the most amazing and well-sourced resource I’ve ever seen, it cites everything from multiple historical grimoires, has a publishing timeline for them, displays sigils, has a section set aside for each demons powers, even lists similar demons, and it’s all very easy to understand the way it’s set up. Can not recommend it enough, it has more demons and more info than I’ve seen listed elsewhere