I Figured I Would Take A Little Bit Of Time To Post The Pictures Of Some Books Wow Secular Or Really

Yule/Midwinter/Winter Equinox

Overview and History

Winter Equinox, Midwinter or Yule as it’s more commonly known is the period of time where we celebrate the Sun’s rebirth and entry into a new year full of light. 

This year’s Yule starts on the 21st of December for the Northern Hemisphere.

Most of this information is for the Northern Hemisphere but can still be celebrated in the Southern, I personally still celebrate but have a personal celebration for the new year on the last day of the year.

This year’s Yule starts on the 21st of June for the Southern Hemisphere.(Hey! That’s me)

Until the 16th century, most cattle owned were slaughtered to prevent the need to feed them during the long and dangerous winter, therefore it was a time of feasting and where meat was plentiful.

In pre-Christian Scandinavia the “Feast of Yule” lasted 12 days and it was common place to burn a “yule log”. 

In ancient Rome the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, a feast to honour the god Saturn, it lasted about a week and was a period of gift-giving, easting and debauchery.

One of the most famous celebrations of the winter solstice in the world today takes place in the ancient ruins of Stonehenge, England. Thousands of Druids and Pagans gather there to chant, dance and sing while waiting to see the spectacular sunrise.

Activities for Witches

One of the most important Yule practices revolves around the Yuletide altar, which consists of three main parts: the Yule log, candles and greenery. All three are symbols of bringing the outside in and welcoming the rebirth brought by the Sun. Greens, such as holly and the evergreen trees that are decorated in silver, gold, reds and greens, symbolize rebirth — a miracle that they prosper in the harsh cold while other plants are barren. For new-age pagans, the festively coloured candles are a safer way to bring the warmth of the sun into the home without risking fires that could be caused by burning the ceremonial log. Traditionally, the ceremonial log is ash. It is decorated in seasonal greens, doused in ale and dusted with flour before being set aflame and left to smoulder for 12 days. 

Easy Activities

Kiss someone (who gives permission) under some hanging mistletoe

Give gifts to those you love

Have a feast with family and friends

Make spell wreaths and hang them around your space

Use cinnamon and pine smudges

Decorate a living outdoor tree

Use natural materials to make yule decorations then decorate your room/altar

Make seed covered apple treats for birds

Clean your pets space and re-decorate

Have meals by the fireplace (roast marshmallows)

Buy some new warm blankets to keep you warm

Knit sweaters for your pets, and scarves for your friends

Sing and dance under the moon (while wearing several layers)

Light cinnamon incense 

Show love to everything deserving of your love

Reset your sleep cycle

Make some goals

Ask your tarot for some advice

(optional) Thank your gods for bringing a new year

kitchen witch smoothie recipe!

i'm eclectic but today i wanted to do some kitchen witchcraft which i actually do pretty often so here's the recipe for the smoothie i made and what the ingredients mean

frozen strawberries- love, good luck

apple- love, good luck

orange juice- good luck, sweetness, positive energies, love

coconut water- protection, strengthens the influences of the other ingredients

almond milk- good luck, positivity, beauty, love

honey- sweetness, positivity, luck

ice- water element

i make smoothies often as a snack and i love how they taste so i wanted to make one that would bring good things to my life, remember to stir clockwise to attract things such as good luck in this case, the potency of your product can be enhanced by actually saying a spell or doing other things that you want to do like lighting candles or drawing sigils on it

i had a lot of fun and i'll be making more things soon, let me know if there's any recipes for certain things that anyone wants! blessed be :)

[to any deity in particular]: Hi. I’ve brought shitty alcohol, two electric candles, a chocolate bar, my many issues, and an undying love for you. Can you help me un-fuck myself?

[deity]: sighs deeply

Pasta Shapes Correspondences

I love to make meals with pasta and sometimes it can be good to slip your intention in with the very shape of your pasta pieces and not just the toppings.  Here is my list of personal correspondences and uses, feel free to use them!

Acini di pepe- This is pasta in tight tiny balls- For temporary spells

Agnolotti- Little pasta parcels- Gifts, money

Alphabet pasta- This is pasta that is in the form of letters- Writing, studying, research

Anelli- This is pasta in the shape of small rings- Bonding, relationships/friendships

Calamarata- This pasta resembles squid rings- Good for hiding/invisibility glamours

Campanelle/Gigli- This pasta is in the shape of a frilly flower- Relaxation, tranquility, peace

Casarecce- The name of this pasta is from the Italian word for ‘homemade’- Family, warmth, hearth magic

Conchigle- This pasta is made in the shape of a shell- Communication, sea magic, water magic

Crest di galli- Pasta shaped a bit like the pipette but had a frilly edge like tripoline on top. I had it a lot when I was very young and I think looks like the Loch Ness monster- Imagination, creativity

Elbow Macaroni- I think this pasta looks like rainbows- Welcoming, affection, bonding, comfort, hope

Farfalle/Farfalline/Corbatta- This pasta is in the shape of butterflies- Transformation, renewal, changes

Fusilli/Cavatappi/Rotini- This pasta looks like a corkscrew- Celebrations, festivals and holidays

Gemelli- Means ‘twins’ in Italian but many think it looks like a unicorn’s horn- Good for fae work

Lanterne- Though the name means ‘lantern’, I think they look like waves- Sea magic, turbulance, change

Lasagna- Flat sheet like pasta- Protection, safety

Linguine/Fettuccine/Pappardelle- These are all flat, ribbon-like pasta shapes- Beauty, self love and acceptance

Maltagliati- Meaning ‘badly cut’ as it is made from scrap and left over pasta- Resourcefulness, creativity, adaptivity

Mezza Luna- This pasta is shaped like crescent or half-moons and is stuffed with meats or vegetables- Lunar magic, celebrating points of the lunar cycle

Nuvole- This pasta is shaped like little clouds- Good for weather magic

Orecchiette- This shape is named after ears- Communication, understanding, listening

Penne- The name of this pasta means ‘pen’ in Italian- Writing, long distance relationships/friendships

Pipe/Pipette/Lumache- These all look like closed ended pipes or snail shells- Good for slow acting but stubborn spells

Radiatori- This pasta is named after radiators!- Warmth, affection, friendships

Ravioli- Little pillows stuffed with meat, cheese or vegetables- Dreaming, rest, good sleep

Rigatoni- Wide and ridged tubes- Memory, retaining information

Rotelle/Ruote- This pasta is shaped like wheels- Safe travel, exploration

Spaghetti/Angel Hair/Bucatini/Vermicelli- Thin lengths of pasta- For long-lasting spells

Spighe- This pasta looks like an ear of cereal- Harvest, fertility, plenty, money

Sorprese- Meaning ‘surprise’ in Italian due to not having filling and they resemble fortune cookies too- Luck

Stelle- Often given to children and are shaped like stars- Adventure, discovery, finding spells

Tagliatelle- Little nests of flat ribbon pasta- Hearth magic, family, affection

Tortellini- Little stuffed rings of pasta- Bonding, relationships/friendships

Tripoline/Mafalda- Both are frilly edged long pastas, but tripoline only has one frilled side and they look like jellyfish tentacles- Good for curses, banishing

Trofie- Twisted up pasta- Reliving stress, relaxation

Vesuvio- This twirled pasta has a flattened and domed end and is named after Mount Vesuvius- Destruction, power, good for curses

Ziti/Tubini- Smooth sided tubes- Forgetting, fading, disappearing

This list is not for every single pasta type, just types I have came across and have used and think I will use/make in the future. Please, if you have an interesting pasta shape, add it on!

Offering cookies recipes

Cookies are one of the best baked goods to give as offerings, because they're 1; easy to make, and 2; greatly enjoyed by most deities.

The recipe(s) I use is a modified chocolate chip cookie recipe, which can be easily modified to preference.

I prefer to use sifted cake flour instead of all-purpose, because it makes them a bit thicker and more firm.

Keep in mind that I'm no professional baker by any means, so there may be some oopsies in this post. If so, please don't hesitate to point it out!

Version 1: Dark Chocolate Chip Rosemary Cookies

2 & 1/2 cups flour, sifted

3/4 cup softened coconut oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream together the coconut oil and the sugars with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract.

Sift in the dry ingredients, then stir with a spatula until just combined.

Mix in the rosemary and chocolate chips.

Spoon 1' balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 375 for 9-12 minutes, or until browned.

Version 2: Milk chocolate chip chai spice cookies

The second uses the same recipe, except instead of dark chocolate chips and rosemary, I use a mix of chai spices.

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (be very careful not to use too much! Cloves can be extremely overpowering!)

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground star anise (you can leave this one out if you don't like the taste)

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Just sift the spices in with the dry ingredients and you're good to go!

Happy baking!

Practicing Witchcraft in Secret

I love things that are traditionally “witchy.” I love dressing candles with herbs. I love setting things on fire. I love making poppets and charms. But not everyone is able to be so obvious in their craft. For various reasons, some witches choose to be secretive about their magical practice.

Why Would You Want to Keep It a Secret?

Historically, witches kept their practice a secret because it wasn’t safe to be open about their beliefs. In the late middle ages, the Catholic Church began to actively persecute witchcraft, herbal medicine, and folk spirituality with the publication of “witch hunting guides” like the Malleus Maleficarum. This witch hunting fervor would continue even after the Protestant Reformation, with some of the most famous witch hunts (such as the Salem trials) carried out by Protestants.

It is important to remember that the witch hunts were political at their heart and that very few of the people executed for witchcraft were what we would recognize today as witches. They were mostly women, poor folks, or members of ethnic or religious minorities. But even so, the danger of being accused of witchcraft and/or devil worship drove many medieval witches, herbalists, and pagans to hide their practice.

The United States experienced a modern witch hunt of sorts in the 1980s with the “Satanic Panic.” We still don’t entirely understand what caused this cultural phenomenon, but what we do know is that it resulted in widespread paranoia about devil worship. Anything that could be misconstrued as “satanic” was shunned or outright persecuted, from Dungeons & Dragons to heavy metal music to nature-based religions like Wicca — and, yes, witchcraft. People who had been comfortably open about their spirituality suddenly found themselves practicing behind closed doors. If you’re over 30, you may remember this. If you’re under 30, the Satanic Panic probably shaped how your parents view witchcraft and paganism, and they may still be grossly misinformed as a result.

Even today, a lot of witches choose to keep their practice a secret because it would be unsafe or uncomfortable to go public. Many witches have family members, friends, or coworkers who would be uncomfortable if they knew about their witchcraft, and may even choose to end the relationship because of it. Some witches live in culturally Christian areas where it might be harder for them to get jobs or make friends if they were openly self-identifying as a witch. Some of us live in places where an outdoor ritual could get the cops called on us, or have missionaries showing up to save our souls.

On the other hand, some witches just like privacy. You may feel like your spirituality is nobody’s business but yours, and for that reason you may prefer to do witchcraft in a way that is more subtle and secretive. Desire for privacy is a perfectly valid reason to stay “in the broom closet.”

There are also some magical traditions that require members to swear a vow of secrecy and to keep the group’s secrets. However, these traditions usually require an in-person initiation, so I won’t be discussing them here.

Inconspicuous Witchcraft

If you haven’t read my posts about magical journaling and kitchen magic, I highly recommend you check them out. Those are two forms of magic that are very easy to practice discretely.

No matter what your reason for keeping your practice a secret, here are a few tips for making magic without drawing attention.

Use scented candles. Candle magic is one of the easiest and most versatile forms of spellwork, and all it requires is a candle and your intention. Scented candles are perfect for undercover witches because, rather than adding herbs and oils, you can simply buy a scent that matches your intention. (For example, a vanilla candle is great for love, while a pumpkin spice scent will attract wealth.) Plus, they’re so commonplace that no one will think twice about seeing one in your bedroom or on your desk at work. If you’re a purist and want to make sure you’re using real plant materials, you can get all natural candles scented with essential oils — but lots of witches use artificial scents and get good results, so don’t feel like you have to go with the more expensive option.

Diffuse essential oils. Essential oils contain the concentrated essence of a plant, which makes them a must-have tool for witches. Essential oils are also extremely popular right now, both for holistic healing and for aromatherapy, so you definitely won’t attract any negative attention for using them. You can get a good essential oil diffuser for under $20 online. Some brands overcharge for their oils, but you can find good quality oils for under $10. When choosing an essential oil, look at the magical correspondences for the plant it is made from. You can diffuse oils to infuse your space with their energy, similar to the way you would use incense.

Enchant your perfume. You can choose a perfume to match your intention or make your own custom perfume by mixing essential oils in a carrier oil. Focus on your intention as you spray the perfume, letting it infuse your energy field with magic. You can also buy magical perfume blends from witch-owned businesses online or on Etsy.

Learn shufflemancy. “Shufflemancy” is a modern form of divination that is done by putting a playlist on shuffle — whatever song plays first contains an intuitive message for you, either in the lyrics or in how it makes you feel. You can find playlists specifically made for divination by Googling “shufflemancy playlist,” or you can make your own by compiling a playlist of songs from different genres that deal with different topics. Just be sure to keep it diverse — if your playlist only has love songs on it, you might not get very helpful messages if you have a question about your career.

Learn bibliomancy. This divination method is similar to shufflemancy, but much older. Bibliomancy is done by asking your question while holding a book, focusing on your question while connecting with the book’s energy, and then opening it to a random page. There is a long, long tradition within Christianity of doing this with the Bible — if you feel connected to a certain sacred text, you could use it for bibliomancy. You could also use a book of poetry, a novel, or even a dictionary. However, I think it’s important to use a book you feel a connection to, rather than something randomly grabbed off the shelf.

Use Pinterest and Spotify as manifestation tools. You may have heard of vision boards, a tool used to manifest something by creating a detailed collection of images that match your intention. Pinterest boards are already essentially virtual vision boards, and creating one with focused intent can be a spell by itself. Likewise, you can use Spotify playlists for manifestation. To do this, create a playlist of songs that match your intention (songs about money or love, for example) and listen to it while meditating on your desired outcome.

Choose your outfits with intention. You can pick clothes based on color correspondences (see this post for a guide to color magic), the material they are made from (a wool sweater vs. a cotton T-shirt), or some other symbolism. For example, if you want to feel empowered, you might wear leopard print to channel the energy of a fierce predator.

Enchant a piece of jewelry for a specific purpose. You can choose your jewelry based on the correspondence of the metal or gemstones it is made from, make your own piece, or use whatever you already have on hand. You can enchant this jewelry by passing it over the flame of a candle or through the vapor of an essential oil diffuser. State what purpose you want this charm to serve, either out loud or in your mind. Wear this jewelry whenever you need to tap into that energy, and make sure to cleanse it often.

Create magical art. If you want to manifest something, draw or paint a picture of it. You don’t have to be a skilled artist — what matters is that you are taking your mental image of what you want and bringing it into the physical world. Fold up the picture and keep it in your pillow, or in some other special place. Likewise, if you want to banish something, draw or paint a picture of it and then rip it into little pieces and throw it out. This ritual allows you to purge yourself of the negative emotions tied to the thing you are banishing.

Take a magical bath. We rarely have more privacy than when we’re in the tub. Taking a bath is already a ritual of sorts, and it’s easy to add magic. You can, of course, make magical bath salts by mixing essential oils into Epsom salt, but you can also create bath spells with household objects. For example, a bath with salt and vinegar will clear up nasty energy, while adding milk to your bath will attract love and abundance.

Practicing in secret does not have to mean a less deep or well-rounded practice. There are lots of magical acts that can be done subtly or kept private. The suggestions in this post are by no means exhaustive, and I hope they will give you some ideas for other ways to fill your life with undercover magic.

Resources:

“Introduction” from The Malleus Maleficarum at http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org

The Fat Feminist Witch podcast, “Episode 34 — Witches, Midwives, and Doulas”

“Most witches are women, because witch hunts were all about persecuting the powerless” by Bridget Marshall for The Conversation

New World Witchery podcast, “Episode 118 — The Satanic Panic”

Magic In Cooking #1

Just some notes I have! Not originally mine. By Nicole Canfield.

Apple:

Fruit of the Goddess

Love

Health and Immortality

Healing

Garden magic

Banana:

Ruled by Mars

I’d hate to say but…. it has lust and sexual effects….

Orange:

Ruled by the Sun

Joy

Love

Creativity

Chocolate: Different kinds have different properties:

Milk Chocolate:

Nurturing

Friendship

Dark Chocolate:

Love

Intimacy

Let me know if you would like more?

These are for my daughter’s birthday party this weekend, but I thought I would go ahead and share this because it’s seriously so easy and I can see there being a lot of uses in the witchcraft community. These are heart shaped sugar cubes and they are seriously easy to make. I have roughly fifty-nine of them too. I went with white because I had no red food coloring in the pantry (the theme is soft pastels), but it’s also really easy to color these to suit your needs. 

You can literally really make cute enchanted sugar cubes and I like this method because it feels very ritualistic - like it has the potential to be magical if you make it magical. 

I pressed birthday wishes into these - that this year will be fun and kind and that she’ll learn the lessons that she’s meant to learn. 

The recipe is as follows:

2 cups granulated sugar

food coloring, if desired - you can use wet or dry food coloring

4 teaspoons water

Mix sugar and food coloring until sugar reaches desired color. Add in four teaspoons of water to mixture and combine until the mixture reaches a sandy consistency. If you add too much water, it won’t hold its shape so be careful. 

Turn sugar mixture into a flat surface. I used a glass pie pan. Use the bottom of a cup to compress the sugar into a solid layer. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out the desired shape and carefully place on a baking sheet. 

If you want to let them dry out for a couple days, you can. However, I rather prefer this way: preheat the oven to 200 F and bake sugar cubes for 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool completely. 

I pressed my intentions into the sugar when I pressed the sugar mixture down into a solid layer. There’s a lot of ways you can customize this into a spell, however - the color of the sugar, the shape you choose to make, the intentions you put into the sugar itself. The possibilities, as they say, are endless!

Freya! Ever since I listened to Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' I've been wanting to draw her really badly- I particularly loved the Freya design created by @irenhorrors on Instagram. Freya is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and death. She's a total badass who never puts up with Loki's shenanigans even when he's convinced everyone else.

"Call on Freya when you need the push to be bold and embark on an adventure to pursue your heart's desire. - Ann Shen, 'Legendary Ladies'

Got some new witchy books yesterday!