Herbs For Making Decisions With A Clear Head

Sabbath Tip for Wiccans

Never... And I mean NEVER beat yourself up for not being able (for whatever reason) to do a full ritual for a Sabbath. Since today (August 1st) is Lammas/Lughnasadh I thought I'd share somethings you can do on a Sabbath without it being a full-on ritual at your altar with offerings.

Remember that a Sabbath is personal. If you take a moment to speak with the God and Goddess, or your patron deity, that is perfectly fine. Give thanks and ask for continued prosperity. Acknowledging the holiday within yourself is more than enough; you can light candles if you like but you can speak to you deity without any supplies.

Spend time on your grimoire [book of shadows] simply spending some part of the day devoted to your craft can be very rewarding. If a Sabbath comes up quickly and you don't have anything prepared then you can make a page in your BoS for that particular Sabbath with all of its associations and lore; or you could plan a Sabbath ritual in your book to use next year.

Eat witchy. By this I mean you can do something small to still commemorate the holiday. You could quickly look up associated herbs with the particular Sabbath and make tea if you have it available. Other than that, most Sabbaths are associated with wheat- that being said, having a quiet moment to yourself eating some toast with honey on it and thanking your deity/deities for the abundance of food and a beautiful harvest. [I know most of us don't harvest our wheat and make our own bread, but someone did, so give thanks] If you can't eat gluten then some fruit and milk'n honey are good universal Sabbath foods.

What are the best sources for giving offerings to ancestors, gods, & local wights? What are the sources & what do you do exactly when giving offerings, like you specifically, give us an example pls?

This is a great question but I really have no hope of answering it adequately, this is such a complicated subject that it would take several doctoral dissertations.

There are basically four subcategories of sources for this sort of discussion which are: accounts by contemporary non-pagans, archaeology, Old Norse literature, and folk tradition. Some contemporary accounts of pagan worship include Tacitus’ Germania, The Life of Saint Ansgar by Rimbert (which among other things refers to deification of a dead king), Ahmad ibn Fadlan’s Risala, Ahmad ibn Rustah’s Book of Precious Records, the account by Ibrahim al-Tartushi, De Administrando Imperio by Constantine Porphyrogenitus, Thietmar of Murseburg’s account in his Chronicon, Adam of Bremen’s Gesta Hammaburgensis (part way down the page in the link ; mentions animal and human sacrifice as well as pouring libations, and I’m sure others that have slipped my mind. I’m not sure if it’s contemporary or not but the Life of Saint Columbanus also refers to Suebians gathering to sacrifice a cauldron full of beer to Wodan.

Sacrifice is an extremely common reoccurring feature of the Icelandic sagas. Scholars have been studying the instances in the sagas for literally centuries trying to determine what elements are The best source on representations of blót in Old Norse literature is unfortunately, as far as I know, only available in Icelandic, which is Blót í Norrænum Sið by Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson. Some of what he discusses also appears as a chapter in the book A Piece of Horse Liver. The most important sources to his study are Landnámabók, Íslendingabók, Hákons saga góða (part of Heimskringla), and Eyrbyggja saga. These accounts typically deal either with legal proceedings, major holidays like Jól or Winternights, or attempts to gain something by supernatural intervention (such as settlers sacrificing to gods to guide them safely to Iceland). It can be very difficult to tell which elements are genuinely preserved from pre-Christian times and what is post-Christian speculation. Also in many of these instances the actual proceedings of the sacrifice are not described, it’s only said that there was a blót. In many cases there is a reference to wooden idols and especially to blood being poured over them; there is also reference to worship of trees (esp. Heiðreks saga where a tree is called blóttré and reddened with blood), forests, rivers, and lakes. A few times animals are worshiped such as when Flóki Vilgerðarson blóts to three ravens which eventually guided him to Iceland. In Kormáks saga a figure who is directed toward a hill where álfar live and told to redden it with bull’s blood and make a meal of the meat for them and leave it on the hill. Eiríks saga rauða also features a figure, Þorhallr, who sneaks off from the settlement and recites poetry for Thor. Saxo Grammaticus can also fall under this heading. The poem Hyndluljóð also refers to Óttarr sacrificing to the ásynjur although the details of what Freyja is saying about it is a little obscure.

In the archaeological record sacrifice varies wildly over time even in the same places. I’m not sure what your upper or lower limit on time is here, but sacrifice changed so radically over time from the stone age through to the end of the Viking age that it would take a shelf of books to describe each. A book that I read (well, part of) for things that go that far back was Scandinavian Archaeology by Håkon Shetelig and Hjalmar Falk, although it is quite old now and you can probably find something better. Although it specifically concerns Denmark, I also recommend The Prehistory of Denmark by Jørgen Jensen. Around the turn of the century bog deposits of weapons, jewelry, and other equipment are common. As time goes on, gold seems to increase in importance, with Gullgubber coming into play at the end of the Migration age. Glass beads were found among the remains of what’s believed to be a hǫrgr (stone alter) in Norway and were interpreted as having been offerings left on it. Also within this category are grave goods – since burials make up a huge amount of Scandinavian archaeology they are usually discussed in terms of more general studies of material culture rather than directly from a religious/votive perspective.

As far as folkloric tradition goes I am mostly familiar with Icelandic folklore although I understand that bowls of porridge with butter were left out for house- and homestead wights in mainland Scandinavia. In Iceland around Christmas it was believed that it was the designated time for the elves to move (that is, change residences); they left the lights on for them and sometimes left out something for them to drink. There are recordings on http://www.ismus.is/ of interviews with Old Icelanders who had heard stories of people sacrificing a bundle of hay to a bog in order to get better weather. There was a part of a sheep’s heart called Ullareyru ‘Ullur’s ears’ which into modern times in Iceland was cut off the heart when the sheep was slaughtered and buried deep in the earth (I can’t find a source for this, but I was taught this in class).

Here is some further reading:

Terry Gunnell, “Hof, Halls, Goðar and Dwarves: An Examination of Ritual Space in the Pagan Icelandic Hall.”

Preben Rønne, “Horg, hov and ve” (a description of the Norwegian hǫrg and vé complex mentioned above)

Jakob Orri Jónsson, “Food, blood and little white stones: A study of ritual in the Icelandic Viking Age hall”, a master’s thesis on ritual space in saga-age Iceland.

Lilla Ullevi, a pagan cult site that has been the subject of archaeological investigation

As far as what I personally do, it depends entirely on the situation (I have not lived in the same place for more than a year since I became heathen so I’ve had to adapt frequently). If I’m not indoors I try to be near a body of water, at an elevated place, or near a tree. I don’t really worship indoors if I’m alone. When I lived on the east coast of the US I would try to be at the beach either when the sun rises or after it’s set (depending on the situation) and recite the “Heill Dagr…” verses from Sigrdrífumál or something else if it seems more appropriate. At one place there was a rock that looked like a huge Mjölnir sticking out of the sand and I would pour libations over it. When I am with one of my friends we pass a bottle back and forth and toast to gods and/or ancestors and/or whatever until the bottle is empty. There is a certain rock where we have left lamb meat for ravens; we’ve also left meat offerings in the jetty. She has a small bookcase alter with objects relating to Freyja and Thor on it where we leave offerings, especially if we are drinking we pour some of whatever we’re drinking into a small glass and leave it there. I go especially off the rails at Þorrablót and last year actually did the Þorri-welcoming ritual (that I highly doubt has anything to do with pre-Chrisian paganism, btw). I have frequently participated in group settings. It’s my opinion that ritual should really never not be accompanied by music, but that’s just me. If I have something to say I always do actually say it, even if it’s only a whisper (this is inspired by Eiríks saga rauða).

I think that in the sources one can discern two distinct threads, one that emphasizes reuse and reaffirmation of the ritual landscape in which you’re permanently situated, and the other which emphasizes transforming your current setting into one that is relateable to the mythological cosmology (see the Gunnell paper). For better or worse I’ve been stuck with the latter. That means hunting for bodies of water or auspicious-looking trees where I hopefully won’t be seen. Some day when I’m not moving so frequently and maybe even have some actual money I’d like to work out something more consistent that involves permanent structures or landscape elements.

I am still very much still in the process of formulating some kind of praxis and I highly doubt I will approach it for years. At least for now it’s more about experimentation than repetition. We do not have a “right way” and getting comfortable with ambiguity is a necessity.

✰✰God And Spirit Correspondences✰✰

✰ The following lists contain information on magical goals and their related deities

AGRICULTURE  • Adonis, Amon, Aristaeus, Baldur, Bonus Eventus, Ceres, Consus, Dagon, Demeter, Dumunzi, Esus, Gahanan, Inari, Osiris, Saturn, Tammuz, Thor, Triptolemus, Vertumnus, Yumcaa, Zochipilli

ARTS • Athena, Ea, Hathor, Odin, Thor

ASTROLOGY • Albion

CATS • Bast, Freya

CHILDBIRTH • Althea, Anahita, Bes, Camenta, Cihuatcoatl, Cuchavira, Isis, Kuan Yin, Laima, Lucina Meshkent

COMMUNICATIONS • Hermes, Janus, Mercury

COURAGE • Tyr

DREAMS • Geshtinanna, Morpheus, Nanshe

EARTH • Asia, Consus, Daghda, Enlil, Frigga, Gaea, Ge, Geb, Kronos, Ninhursag, Ops, Prithivi, Rhea, Saturn, Sif, Tellus

FERTILITY • Amnu, Anaitis, Apollo, Arrianrhod, Asherali, Astarte, Attis, Baal, Bacchus, Bast, Bona, Dea, Boucca, Centeotle, Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Cybele, Daghda, Demeter, Dew, Dionysus, Eostre, Frey, Freya, Frigg, Indra, Ishtar, Ishwara, Isis, Kronos, Ono, Lulpercus, Min, Mut, Mylitta, Ningirsu, Ops, Osiris, Ostara, Pan, Pomona, Quetzalcoatl, Rhea, Rhiannon, Saturn, Selkhet, Sida, Tane, Telepinu, Telluno, Tellus Mater, Thunor, Tlazolteotl, Yarilo, Zarpanitu

GOOD LUCK AND FORTUNE • Bonus Eventus, Daikoku, Fortuna, Ganesa, Jorojin, Laima, Tyche

HEALING • Apollo, Asclepius, Bast, Brigid, Eir, Gula, Lxlilton, Khnos, Paeon

JOURNEYS • Echua, Janus

LAW,TRUTH, AND JUSTICE • Astraea, Maat, Misharu, Themis

Love • Aizen Myo-O, Alpan, Angus, Aphrodite, Asera, Astarte, Asthoreth, Belili, Creirwy, Cupid, Dzdzilelya, Eros, Erzulie, Esmeralda, Fenrua, Freya, Frigg, Habondia, Hathor, Inanna, Ishtar, Kades, Kama, Kivan-Non, Kubaba, Melusine, Menu, Minne, Mamaja, Odudua, Olwen, Oshun,Prenda,Rao, Sauska, Tlazoletotl, Turan, Venus, Xochipilli, Zochiquetzal

LUNAR MAGIC • Aah, Anahita, Artemis, Asherali, Astarte, Baiame, Bendis, Diana, Gou, Hathor, Hecate, Llmaqah, Ishtar, Isis, Jacy, Kabul, Khons, Kilya, Lucina, Luna, Mah, Mama Quilla, Mani, Menu, Metzli, Myestaa, Nanna, Pah, Selene, Sin, Soma, Taukiyomi, Thoth, Varuna, Yarikh, Yerak, Zamna

MARRIAGE • Airyaman, Aphrodite, Aryan, Bes, Bah,Ceres, Errata, Frigg, Hathor, Hera, Hymen, Juno, Patina, Saluki, Svarog, Thalassa, Tutunis, Vor, Xochipilli

MUSIC AND/OR POETRY • Apollo, Benten, Bragi, Brigid, Hathor, Odin, Orpheus, Thoth, Untunktahe, Woden, Xolotl

REINCARNATION • Hera, Khensu, Ra

SEA • Amphitrite, Benten, Dylan, Ea, Enoil, Glaucus, Leucothea, Manannan Mac Lir, Neptune, Nereus, Njord, Paldemon, Phorcys, Pontus, Poseidon, Proteus, Shoney, Yamm

SHAPE-SHIFTING • Freya, Volkh, Xolotl

SKY • Aditi, Anshar, Anu, Dyaus, Frigg, Hathor, Horus, Joch-Huva, Jupiter, Kumarbis, Nut, Obatala, Rangi, Svarog, Tane, Thor, Tiwaz, Ukko, Uranus, Varuna, Zeus

SLEEP • Hypnos

SOLAR MAGIC • Amaterasu, Apollo, Atum, Baldur, Bochia, Dazhbog, Helios, Hiruku, Horus, Hyperion, Inti, Legba, Lugh, Mandulis, Mao, Marduk, Maui, Melkart, Mithra, Orunjan, Paiva Perun, Phoebus, Ra, Sabazius, Samas, Sams, Shamash, Sol, Surya, Texcatlipoca, Tonatiuh, Torushompek, Utto, Vishnu, Yhi

VENGEANCE • Nemesis

WEALTH AND PROSPERITY • Adad, Acolus, Agni, Amen, Baal, Bragi, Burlash, Catequil, Chac-Mool, Chernabog, Donar, Fomagata, llyapa, Indra, Jove, Jupiter, Kami-Nari, Koza, Lei-Kung, Marduk, Nyame, Perkunas, Pillan, Pulug, Quiateot, Raiden, Rammon, Rudra, Shango, Sobo, Summanus, Taki-Tsu-Hilo, Tawhaaki, Tawhiri, Tefnut, Thor, Thunor, Tilo, Tinia, Typhoeus, Typhon, Yu-Tzu, Zeus, Zu

WISDOM • Aruna, Athena, Atri, Baldur, Brigid, Dainichi, Ea, Enki, Fudo- Myoo, Fugen Bosatsu, Fukurokuju, Ganesha, Minerva, Nebo, Mimir, Oannes, Odin, Oghama, Quetzalxoatl, SIa, Sin, Thoth, Vohumano, Zeus

Spell to calm anxiety down

This spell was made to be super quick and simple, I hope it helps people the same way it helps me.

You’ll need one lemon, a way to heat the juice, and a white candle

• Press 1 lemon and heat the juice. • Place the candle in front of you and light it. Breathe in and out and focus on your anxiety. • Hold your drink before your eyes and concentrate on pouring your energy in it. (Optional) Say: “I hereby banish anxiety from my body and mind for these are mine and no one else’s.” • Drink the hot lemon juice. • Simply watch the candle burn for a few seconds, visualize it burning your anxiety away, then blow the candle.

This also works for emotional shocks.

its fucking dember.

Masturbation memories: A SEX TOY GIVEAWAY!

It’s been 14 years since I sat in my college dorm room and typed up my very first sex toy review. My blog is now a teen, the same age I was when I fell in love with a girl for the first time. Should I be asking my blog about its sexuality? Honey, you know you can come to me with anything.

I could yammer on about how different everything was back in 2007, because BOY WAS IT, but there are more pressing matters here, such as getting free sex toys into your hands! I’ve gathered 50 prizes for this giveaway, and I can’t wait to bestow them upon you.

Enter to win now! (ends 10/27) 

Litha Altar Decorations

- lots and lots of flowers that grow native in your area this time of year

- sunflowers, roses, lavender, dandelions

- flower crowns and flower garlands

- a bowl of fruit and vegetables, especially anything citrus like oranges 

- lots of candles (Litha is a fire sabbat)

- colours like yellow, gold, and orange

- you could have a vase of sticks with fairy lights in it to represent a bonfire

- maypoles are still a thing for Litha

- a cute offering dish to leave out sweets for the fae

- a jar of local honey

- anything that represents the sun

- incense (sandalwood, rose, lavender, frankincense, dragon’s blood)

- oak leaves and acorns

- anything that reflects the sun like suncatchers, glass beads, and mirrors

🍂     SAGE    🍂

Sage is a very versatile plant; it’s not only used for cooking. This kitchen witch likes to make incenses from it or just plant it for decorative reasons in her garden. In my childhood however, I mainly knew the herb as a medical plant. Especially in summer, when I fell asleep with the windows still  open, I often awoke with a sore throat. Of course, my mom and her mother before her had a wonderful recipe for that - didn`t I mention that sage is a great natural remedy for a sore throat? Let’s brew some SAGE TEA! There’s a good reason, why the herb’s name is based on the Latin word “salvare” – healing - after all.

GROWING SAGE  🌱

Sage is a low maintenance, sun loving ancient Mediterranean herb. Basically it can survive mild winters outside and therefore can be harvested all year long. (I’ve had some on my balcony and now in my garden for years and it only happened once, that it didn’t make it through the dark season.) To keep the sage healthy you should cut it from springtime to late summer without removing the wooden stalks. ~~~

STORING SAGE  🌱

Drying the leaves is pretty easy. Harvest the upper parts of the stalks and pluck the leaves off, put them on a flat plate or a piece of baking paper. Don’t expose the sage to direct sunlight! Once the leaves are completely dry, just crumble them and put them into a nice glass jar. Store it at a dark and dry place. The jar above is actually the one I took from my grandmas kitchen after she had passed away. It still got her handwriting on it. ~~~

SAGE TEA  🌱

To brew one cup (1/4l) only one tablespoon of the dried or fresh leaves are required. The tea should then cool down a little before using it for curing a sore throat. From now on you should gargle three times a day (preferably after eating). Other uses for the, in this case still warm tea are to prevent night sweats and stomach ache. ~~~

More on this amazing herb later on  🍃

disclaimer: no household remedy will ever replace a visit to the doctor!

Sage series 1/?

My Favorite Spell-Book

Divination:

To learn the present character of a person:

Take the stem of an apple between your fingers and begin to twist counter clockwise whilst reciting the alphabet. Keep the person of interest in mind. Then refer to the rhyme.

Example: The stem breaks at “A”. The person in mind is currently focusing all their attention on accomplishing a specific goal. This could mean everything aside from this goal has been placed on the backburner and other life aspects are suffering for it.

————————————————————

“Tom Thumb’s Alphabet”

A was an Archer, who shot at a frog,

B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.

C was a Captain, all covered with lace,

D was a Drunkard, and had a red face.

E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow,

F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.

G was a Gamester, who had but ill-luck,

H was a Hunter and hunted a buck.

I an Innkeeper, who loved to carouse,

J was a Joiner, and built up a house.

K was King William, once governed this land,

L was a Lady, who had a white hand.

M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,

N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.

O was an Oyster girl, and went about town,

P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.

Q was a Queen, who wore a silk slip,

R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.

S was a Sailor, and spent all he got,

T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.

U was a Usurer, a miserable elf,

V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.

W was a Watchman, and guarded the door,

X was Expensive, and so became poor.

Y was a Youth, who did not love school,

Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.

————————————————————

To cause confusion:

Simply use the name of that which you want to confuse.

————————————————————

Anna Elise, she jumped with surprise;

The surprise was so quick, it played her a trick;

The trick was so rare, she jumped in a chair;

The chair was so frail, she jumped in a pail;

The pail was so wet, she jumped in a net;

The net was so small, she jumped on the ball;

The ball was so round, she jumped on the ground;

And ever since then she’s been turning around.

————————————————————

To trap a spirit:

Recite “Anna Elise” whilst braiding rope and tying knots. Replace the lines after, “…she jumped in the net”, with:

————————————————————

“…and now I’ve tied the final knot, and in my net was Anna set.

Try all her might, it’s structure is sound,

And ever since then she’s been turning around.”

————————————————————

At the end of this last line, tie one end of the string to the other to create a circle.

To Overcome Adversity

Or to Strengthen a Wind or Storm:

————————————————————

Arthur O'Bower has broken his band

And he comes roaring up the land;

The King of Scots with all his power

Cannot stop Arthur of the Bower.

————————————————————

To Induce Spirit Flight with a “Fail Safe”:

————————————————————

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score miles and ten.

Can I get there by candle-light?

Yes, and back again.

If your heels are nimble and your toes are light,

You may get there by candle-light.

————————————————————

Use a small candle and when it burns out, you shall be pulled back to your body.

Hagriding with use of a Poppet:

————————————————————

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To buy little Johnny a galloping horse;

It trots behind and it ambles before,

And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.

————————————————————

To Replace What’s Been Lost:

————————————————————

Little Betty Blue,

Lost her holiday shoe.

What will poor Betty do?

Why, give her another,

To match the other,

And then she will walk in two.

————————————————————

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.