Forestwitchnika - ♡ Nika The Witch ♡

Winter Witchcraft

❄ Gather pine cones

❄ Collect feathers from winter fowl. Do not collect feathers if you live in the     US!

❄ Collect snow and melt it. Charge the water under the December full moon to     create a powerful snow water to use in your winter spells. Use snow water to     protect your house and hearth, to charge your magick tools, and to purify         your amulets. Snow water possesses healing powers.

❄ Have a winter bonfire to celebrate winter solstice.

❄ Set yourself goals for the new year.

❄ Take a walk under the full moon when the snow is reflecting its light. This is        a time for reflection and visions. Record you experience and any important        thoughts or visions you receive. 

❄Stand outside in a blizzard and feel your energy restoring. 

❄  Brew yourself a cider. Add herbs and fruits with certain correspondences for      December such as joy, peace, family happiness, etc.

❄ December is a time for reflection of the passing year.

❄ Do Yule baking and incorporate kitchen witchcraft. 

❄ Weave a wreath with holly and plants that correspond with protection and         yule.

❄ Burn incense of cinnamon, patchouli, frankincense, orange, and myrrh.  

❄ December is a time for hearth and home magick.

❄ Burn candles throughout your home to invite positive energies, coziness,           and peace. 

❄ Collect evergreen, holly, cedar and pine clippings.

❄ Forage for rose hips.

❄ Tie up any loose ends you have in your life.

❄ Finish this years grimoire and add any last minute touch ups.

❄ Collect dried leaves. Define their properties and put them in your herbal             grimoire.

❄ Brew yourself new tea combinations to start off the new year with.

❄ Make witch balls and other magickal decorations to hang on your yule tree       and decorate your house with. 

❄ Make winter solstice lanterns.

❄ Throw a sprig of holly into a yule fire to burn away your troubles from the            past year.  A large amount or if thrown into an indoor fireplace may be      poisonous, use with caution!  

❄ Make a yule log. 

❄  Throw a ritual or celebration to welcome back the sun.

❄  Use elements from nature to decorate your home.

❄  At the end of the month do a deep house cleansing to remove all negative        energy and to give the new year a fresh start. 

Have a happy Yule! 

==Moonlight Mystics==

🌻| Litha | 🌗

[ 📎 AKA "Mid summer's Eve ]

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Note: This came straight from my notebook

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🌿 | Litha takes place on June 20-23 for the northern hemisphere and December 20-23

🌼| Litha falls on the longest day of the year, It celebrated the triumph of nature, Shown as *"The green man"* for some. It also celebrates the leak of light but also the start of descent into darkness.

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💐 Important Litha things

FOOD

Seasonal berries

Honey

Milk

Colors

Warm colors

Creams

Natural spring colors

Other

Sun magick

Fire

Musix

Fae folk

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🌈 Litha Activities

Fae offerings

Look for hagstones

Leap a bonfire (SAFELY)

play or enjoy music

Burn your past (Images/letters)

Do a all nighter and watch the sun rise

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That's all from me today folks

Have a happy pride month

🏳️‍🌈

(Thanks @pinewhisky for pointing out a error)

Here are my chakra pages from my book of shadows ✨✨✨

Germanic Paganism Sources

I can’t list these sources without first going through a million different caveats. I’m going to keep this introduction brief due to the length of this post, but be aware that these sources have been subjected to Christianization, speculation, mistranslation, etc. Many of these sources were copied down by Christian authors who may have altered the truth in order to fit their perspective. Some may have vague terms or phrases that we can no longer understand because they existed in an entirely new context. Essentially, approach all of these texts from a speculative and critical lens. This doesn’t mean we can’t decipher the truth. We can decipher the truth by comparing texts from the same time, countries, etc with each other and finding the common threads. Pairing these attestations with archaeological records is also immensely helpful and I hope to compile a list of archaeological records some time in the future. You can find many free records and studies by simply typing, for example, “anglo-saxon burials archaeological excavations.”

This list consists of records of various Germanic peoples, histories, as well as semi-legendary sagas and poetry. By exploring a variety of texts instead of just ethnographic works, we can understand the history, culture, customs, traditions, values, and more. These are all crucial in approaching paganism with the goal of accurate and thorough understanding. I wanted to focus primarily on sources from close to the pagan period, but I have also included current sources in the grimoires and runes section. For the contemporary study of Germanic paganism, I always recommend Stephen Flowers!

Happy researching

The Eddas

https://www.norron-mytologi.info/diverse/ThorpeThePoeticEdda.pdf

http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/EDDArestr.pdf

England

https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/657/pg657-images.html

https://ia804700.us.archive.org/31/items/exeterbookanthol00goll/exeterbookanthol00goll.pdf

https://langeslag.uni-goettingen.de/oddities/texts/Aecerbot.pdf

https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0627-0735,_Beda_Venerabilis,_Ecclesiastical_History_Of_England,_EN.pdf

https://www.ragweedforge.com/rpae.html (this website also has the norwegian and icelandic rune poems)

https://www.dvusd.org/cms/lib/AZ01901092/Centricity/Domain/2897/beowulf_heaney.pdf

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ascp/

https://ia601403.us.archive.org/12/items/bede-the-reckoning-of-time-2012/Bede%20-%20The%20Reckoning%20of%20Time%20%282012%29.pdf

Germany

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/nblng/index.htm

https://www.germanicmythology.com/works/merseburgcharms.html

Frisia

https://www.liturgies.net/saints/willibrord/alcuin.htm

Denmark

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/saxo/index.htm

Iceland

https://archive.org/details/booksettlementi00ellwgoog/page/n4/mode/2up

Finland

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/kvrune01.htm

Germania

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7524/7524-h/7524-h.htm

The Sagas

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/598/598-h/598-h.htm

http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Heimskringla%20II.pdf

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/heim/05hakon.htm

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/vlsng/index.htm

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/egil/index.htm

https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/is3/index.htm

https://sagadb.org/files/pdf/eyrbyggja_saga.en.pdf

https://sagadb.org/brennu-njals_saga.en

Grimoires

https://archive.org/details/GaldrabokAnIcelandicGrimoire1

https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/IB04-0383/9#page/3v/mode/2up

https://galdrastafir.com/#vegvisir

Runes

https://www.esonet.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Futhark-A-Handbook-of-Rune-Magic-Edred-Thorsson-1984.pdf

*Due to link limits on tumblr, i cannot link all of these. Please paste them into your browser.

*Also, sadly I could not find some of the sources I wanted for free. I will continue to update this post with new links and it will be pinned to my profile always!

About Lucia

Going by the old Julian calendar, December 13 was the darkest night of the year — the eve of the winter solstice. This, however, changed after the calendar reformation in 1753, when the Gregorian calendar was put into use in Sweden, and the winter solstice shifted to December 21. But the folk tradition still stood — the night before the 13th was still popularly known as the darkest night, and therefore also the most dangerous, for the darkness allowed evil entities to thrive longer than any other night. This, in turn, has led to a number of traditions, but the most important aspect has always been the one of light and feasting. To keep the evil away, it was important to stay awake and to stay indoors with lights.

But to be able to stay awake a whole night, one must eat. Tradition decreed that almost all preparations for jól (the midwinter celebration) should also be completed by the 13th, including the slaughter of the festive pig, meaning there was fresh food prepared already and the long night served as a good reason to get an early start on the seasonal feasting. Sometimes, the teenagers and young adults would walk from neighbor to neighbor, singing songs in exchange for food and drink, protected with light. Sometimes they would dress up, and sometimes they would do some pranks to scare people.

Today, the tradition is still standing: to lussa is to dress up as Lucia and walk to neighbors or family members with song and cakes. However, the act of lussa was originally to stay awake during the night between the 12th and 13th and was called Lussevaka (Lusse watch). Lucia can still be equally called Lussefirande (Lusse celebration) today.

But why Lussa? Lussi, otherwise known as Lussekäringen (the Lussi witch) or Lussegubben (Lussi man), was an evil entity. She often took the form of a woman who came riding through the skies with her companions called lussifreda. She was one of the evil spirits who would lurk around in the night and take naughty children away through the chimneys, or punish those who had not completed their jól preparation.

And it is due to this, in the dark of the longest night with a despair for light, with evil all around, that the myth of a female figure of light arose. During the pre-Christian era, the light was sworn to keep evil away. The tradition of a light-bringing woman may therefore have its foundation in a heathen goddess of light who was invoked during this night. The tradition of celebrating light in this manner through Lussevaka has stayed on in different forms ever since.

There is also a theory that Lusse is Freya, hence the traditional bread called “lusse cats” would refer to the cats pulling her wagon.

Lusse bread is baked to honor Sunna (the sun) and attract it back when it was at its darkest, today's lusse cats still have the old Sunna symbols (the spirals at the ends).

In the 19th century, a special interest sparked in the Lusse celebration, due to the first wave of nationalism and the search for old folk traditions all around Sweden. Lusse, which was mainly celebrated by men or women dressing up in white with a crown of flowers, holding candlesticks and walking around the farm with food while singing in the morning, gave the foundation to the modern Lucia.

I think the winter and the darkness can cause a lot of unnecessary suffering when we are trying to force ourselves to feel the same as we do in the summer. It's okay to feel tired. It's okay to feel lack of inspiration. And it's okay to need more sleep and to let things slow down.

A flower would never force itself to bloom in the cold winter, so why would we?

- jonna jinton

50 Spells

Money Spell: Mix basil and baking soda together. Use it as a carpet sprinkle before vacuuming to increase the flow of money to your home.

Protection Spell: Bury quartz crystals pointing outwards at the four corners of your property line to keep evil away from your home.

Good Dream Spell: Eat a pinch of thyme before bed or place a sprig of it under your pillow, and you will have sweet dreams.

Money Spell: Roll paper or plastic money towards you around a cinnamon stick to bring in more money.

Healing Spell: Carry juniper berries with you to ward against illness.

Protection Spell: Hang a bit of dried ginger in the kitchen to ward evil spirits.

Money Spell: Simmer cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in water on the stove to ensure prosperity of your home.

Good Luck Spell: Burn allspice as an incense to draw money or luck to you, as well as speed healing.

Love Spell: Cut an apple in half, and give one half to your love to ensure a prosperous and loving relationship.

Beauty Spell: Carry cloves with you to let your inner beauty shine outward.

Love Spell: Watermelon is an aphrodisiac, especially for men.

Love Spell: Eat fresh figs as an aphrodisiac.

Good Luck Spell: Place a piece of cotton in your sugar bowl to draw good luck to your house.

Love Spell: Celery is a great male aphrodisiac.

Lost Item Charm: Carry a sprig of rosemary in your pocket when you need to find something.

Protection Spell: Scatter dried chili peppers or cayenne pepper around your house to keep harm away.

Pregnancy Spell: Carrying a twig of raspberry leaves will help ease the pains of pregnancy.

Purification Spell: Add a little salt to your carpet sprinkle or floor wash to purify a room.

Rain Spell: Sprinkle water into the air using the bristles of a broom to make it rain.

Healing Charm: Carry ginger root in your pocket or purse all winter to ward against colds.

Wellness Spell: Drink amethyst-infused water during the day, before drinking, to lighten the effects of intoxication.

Healing Charm: Place a garlic braid in your home to help keep illness away.

Concentration Spell: Chew fennel seeds to help you concentrate.

Good Luck Spell: Carry a piece of dried pineapple in a green bag to draw luck to you.

Divination Charm: Ask an orange a yes or no question before you eat it, then count the seeds. If there are an even number of seeds, the answer is no. If there are an odd number of seeds, the answer is yes.

Fertility Spell: Eat avocados to ensure fertility.

Garden Spell: Sprinkle oats in your garden to ensure that your garden will be plentiful.

Love Spell: Eat mangos to increase libido.

Protection Spell: Plant thyme around your house to act as natural wards.

Relaxation Charm: Drink lavender, chamomile, and passion fruit tea to decrease anxiety.

Psychic Ability Charm: Sleep with mugwort under your pillow to bring psychic dreams.

Purification Spell: Add apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and epsom salt to your bathwater for purification.

Psychic Ability Spell: Eat raw chocolate to increase your psychic powers.

Psychic Ability Spell: Carry a herkimer diamond to increase your psychic powers.

Healing Spell: Cure hiccups by breathing in peppermint essential oil.

Protection Spell: Sprinkle cayenne pepper dust under your doormat to keep unwanted people from entering your home.

Happiness Spell: Evoke a feeling of optimism by breathing in peppermint essential oil..

Aromatherapy Charms: Add pink himalayan sea salt and a few drops of your favorite essential oil to a glass vial to make an instant aromatherapy oil inhaler.

Love Spell: Place pepper inside a piece of cotton and set it shut to make a charm to bring back a lost love.

Money Charm: Draw an infinity symbol on a square piece of paper, fold it towards you, and put it into your wallet to increase your wealth.

Purification Spell: Cut an onion in half and hide both halves inside your home to remove harmful vibes.

Healing Spell: Place a sliced onion under the bed of an ill person to help draw out the illness.

Pentacle Charm: Cut an apple in half for an instant altar pentacle.

Prosperity Spell: Add dried basil to your carpet sprinkle to increase prosperity.

Beauty Spell: Crawl backwards three times underneath a blackberry or mulberry tree branch to help remove acne.

Beauty Spell: Make a face mask out of ground dried oatmeal, powdered milk, warm honey, and water to soften the skin and clear the complexion.

Purification Charm: Carry a piece of black tourmaline to help purify and remove harmful energies in the space around you.

Purification Charm: Keep your pink himalayan salt lamp on for as long as possible to get the best benefit from the lamp.

Protection Charm: Carry a peach pit to ward off harmful energies.

Protection Charm: Carry a walnut to strengthen your brain.

Blessed Be,

Lilac