I Understand That This Is The Season Of Renewal, Rebirth, And Change. But..hear Me Out I Would Like To

Imbolc as a Hellenic (longread)

Many of you might know that the Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle with eight sabbats (two solstices, two equinoxes and four fire festivals marking the midpoints between the solar events). This annual cycle was constructed by Wicca and took from older pagan celebrations. Many modern witches, regardless of whether they’re Wiccan, follow the Wheel of the Year, myself included. However, as I am a Hellenic witch, my religion often doesn’t align with the Wheel of the Year. In this blogpost I would like to go into why I celebrate the Wheel of the Year and how sabbats that have strong Celtic roots, like Imbolc, could still be celebrated as a Hellenic.

Why I celebrate the Wheel of the Year As a Hellenic witch it can be hard to try to fit the Wheel of the Year to my deities and practice. For some sabbats, like Ostara and Mabon, it’s easier. I’ve celebrated and perceived the autumn and spring equinoxes way before I became a witch through honouring Persephone, Hades and Demeter. However, Imbolc remains a hard one for me to celebrate through a Hellenic lens. Many might ask themselves, “Why celebrate it all then? Why go through the effort if it isn’t working out for you?”. There are multiple reasons why I try to celebrate every sabbat:

I do feel the energy shifts. For Imbolc for example, I am experiencing the energy shifting towards that of new beginnings, and thus it goes against my natural instincts and senses to not celebrate these energy shifts.

The Wheel of the Year connects me to other (non-Hellenic) witches and makes me feel part of the witchcraft and pagan community. As a solitary witch, my path can feel quite lonely sometimes. However through perceiving and celebrating the sabbats I feel connected to other practitioners of the craft. Therefore it’s worthwhile for me to celebrate the Wheel of the Year as a Hellenic.

The Wheel of the Year aligns with the natural world in my region and the solar and lunar events. My practice goes beyond Hellenism and these aspects of my craft align well with the Wheel of the Year.

How to celebrate Imbolc as a Hellenic🌼 Imbolc is also known as Brigid’s day and thus centred around the Celtic goddess Brigid. If you are like me and you do celebrate the sabbats while also being Hellenic, there are a few adjustments you can make to celebrate Imbolc.

The return of spring🐑 Even though it’s not the spring equinox, Imbolc’s vocal point is the coming of spring. Therefore you can choose to focus on this aspect of Imbolc. This is paired with workings for renewal, new beginnings, protection and cleansing. If you’d like to honour a Hellenic deity for this aspect, you might want to look into honouring Gaia or build an altar for her. She is the Goddess of the earth after all.

Honouring Hestia🕯️ You might want to choose to honour Hestia within this period. Hestia as the Goddess of the hearth shares this aspect with Brigid. Furthermore, Imbolc is one of the four fire festivals. That fire aspect can be embraced through the honour and worship of Hestia. You might also choose to take this a step further and work with Hestia for protections for the home and your loved ones.

Solar aspect☀️ Imbolc also marks the midpoint between Yule and Ostara, proofing to also be a solar event. Therefore you might choose to work with this solar energy embracing those brighter days ahead. This is an excellent time to also honour the Gods Apollôn and Hêlios. Even though most books on Imbolc will not mention them as deities for this time period, they are still Gods who govern over the sun. Whenever there is a sabbat with a solar aspect to it, I choose to incorporate Apollôn. He is a God who has been central to my life since I’ve been a Hellenic and therefore it feels wrong to leave him out of it.

I hope you have a blessed day tomorrow, however you choose to celebrate Imbolc🩵🤎

I had a dream where I was in a witch's cottage and in the kitchen she had an iron rack for wooden spoons. Like this but with a pentagram in the center:

And above each hook was a little sign with things like "love", "healing", and "strength". The spoons were enchanted for those purposes and hung on their respective hooks for easy access while cooking.

And I think that's just such a cool idea.... Now to find or make a rack.

bring back tumblr ask culture let me. bother you with questions and statements

Worldy Witchcraft Ideas

Take care of your mother.

🌱 Green Witch: volunteering at community gardens, planting trees, recycling garbage into pots

🐚 Sea Witch: trash pickups, guiding sea turtles, raising awareness for over fishing

☀ Solar Witch: turning off the lights during the day and letting the sun in, supporting solar energy, growing sunflowers and leaving their seeds for birds

☕ Kitchen Witch: cooking vegan/plant based meals, buying local ingredients, remembering reusable grocery bags and travel mugs

🎐 Hedge Witch: cleaning up trash in graveyards, growing plants that attract spirits, making your own candles from leftover wax and clementine caps

⚡ Strom Witch: using rainwater for plants, appreciating electricity keeping it off during the day and admiring it at night, supporting wind power

🌆 Urban Witch: guerilla gardening, walking/biking instead of driving (or carpool), supporting eco friendly buisnesses

🌙 Lunar Witch: recycling to make decor for a nocturnal garden (ft. moonflowers and silvery things), leaving out bird baths that make reflective pools at night, turning the lights off at night to let her shine

🔮 Crystal Witch: collecting your own stones & tumbling them at home, advocating against damaging mining projects

🌸 Fae Witch: starting a butterfly garden, leaving out bee rest stops, building bird houses from recyled goods

I know I’m leaving out some stuff so feel free to add on with your own ideas, tips, types, and how to’s!

~ That Witch

types of spells and ideas for methods of casting [long post]

Attracting

fill a small jar with honey and add a written statement of intent to the jar - seal and set the jar in direct sunlight to manifest your intent

stir your morning coffee or tea in a clockwise motion while focusing on the intent of what energies you wish to attract for the day

fill a jar with herbs and crystals that represent what you want to attract and add a statement of intent

charge a crystal and wear on your person to attract certain energies

create a sigil and either draw it on yourself or on paper and keep in your pocket

create a talisman, charge it, and wear it to attract various energies

Banishing

take an item that represents what you wish to banish and: throw it in the trash, flush it down the toilet, burn it, bury it, drown it

burn the item and sweep the ashes out the back door or bury them

carve the name of what you want to banish into a black candle and let it burn down completely - bonus points if the candle is anointed with herbs or a binding oil

transmute negative energy into a stone (preferably a black stone like onyx) and throw it over the fence in your backyard (or whichever direction is south in reference to your home)

stir your morning coffee or tea in a counter-clockwise motion while focusing on the intent of what energies you wish to banish for the day

using incense that is associated with banishing negative energy, walk around your space in a counter-clockwise motion with the lit incense in your hand

Binding & Sealing

wrap a string around a poppet or other representation of the target or item you wish to bind

put the poppet or other representation in a plastic bag filled with water and freeze it

place the item in a black box and seal it - store in a dark place or bury the box in your backyard

write the item you want to bind on paper and seal with wax - keep safe until the bond is broken

perform a tie-breaking spell

Blessing & Consecrating

anoint an object with holy or blessed water/oil

use spring water to bless objects

place the object in a dry bath of herbs or flowers that are known for blessing

pass the object through incense smoke that is associated with blessing

use a censer to consecrate a place or a room

Cleansing

leave the item in the path of direct moon, sun, or starlight

place in a dry bath or herbs or flowers that are associated with cleansing

place the item in a bowl of sea salt

pass the item through incense smoke that is associated with cleansing

pass the item through running water

anoint the item with a cleansing oil or charged water

bury the item in soil for 3 days so it may be “reborn” when unearthed

place a cleansing crystal on top of or next to the item

hang a wind chime outside of your home to negate negative energies before they have the chance to enter your home

physically clean and freshen your space - dust, mop, open the windows and let some fresh air inside (you can view this as an "out with the old and in with the new" situation)

Cursing

fill a poppet with baneful herbs and crystals, seal it, and store in a black box

add baneful herbs and crystals to a jar with a piece of paper that states the target’s name or a description of them and seal it

create a poppet or other representation of the target and destroy it (commonly by burning)

utilize martian or saturnian energy for baneful magic

stab the poppet with pins and needles

curse an item and "gift" it to the target

Dreams & Sleep

fill a sachet with herbs associated with restful sleep and peaceful dreams and hang above your bed

place the sachet under your pillow

wash your bedsheets and sleep clothes with a few drops of lavender or chamomile essential oil

alternately, choose fabric softener that is lavender scented to wash your sheets or sleep clothes with

create a sigil for peaceful dreams or dream recall, charge under the light of the moon, and place it under your pillow before you go to sleep

utilize lunar or neptunian energy in dreamwork

mugwort, peppermint, or valerian root tea before bed for vivid, lucid dreams

chamomile tea before bed for restful sleep

lemon verbena (vervain) tea before bed for dreamless sleep

when bathing at night, create a sachet that matches your intent and place in the bath or shower

Glamours

utilize energy from venus and pluto for beauty and transformation but also neptune for illusions, mysticism, and confusion

anoint the containers of beauty and hair products with venus (beauty) or pluto (transformation/metamorphosis) water/oils/herbs

leave the item you wish to cast a glamour on under the full moon

charge a talisman with the effect you wish to have on others and wear when you go out for the day

add pluto water/oils/herbs and moon water to a bath for a full body glamour (write your intent with bath crayons on the tub or shower wall for an extra boost)

create an energetic shield over yourself in which the outside mirrors what you want others to perceive of you

Goal & Wish Manifestation

write your intent on a bay leaf and burn it

turn your intent into a sigil and store it in a jar filled with herbs or other items that represent said intent

place a written description of your goal or wish in the center of a crystal grid using stones that are associated with manifestation and power

place a coin in moon water while focusing on your wish or goal (leave container under direct moonlight overnight so that it may charge)

light a candle whose color matches your intent and while focusing on your goal or wish, blow out the candle

add a catalyst to your spell

use energy from mars (power) or jupiter (luck)

Personal Power & Effects

create or enchant a talisman that represents your intent, charge it, and wear it on your person

add herbs that are associated with personal power to a ritual bath

create a potion from herbs associated with power and drink in the morning for a boost during the day (think caffeine)

use a catalyst in the aforementioned activities

utilize whichever planetary/cosmic energy you see fit

Warding

sprinkle a mixture of protective herbs around the perimeter of your home while walking clockwise

leave protective crystals at each corner of your space

hang a protective amulet above the door to your space; wear a protective amulet for personal protection

create a protective witch bottle and bury near your front door

plant herbs or flowers that are associated with protection outside at each corner of your home

draw a protective sigil or symbol on the outside of your front and back door with saturn or protective water/oils

hang witch balls or a witch’s ladder near your front door

create an energetic shield and place over yourself, your loved ones, or your entire home

Wealth, Prosperity, & Luck

craft a money bowl and place it at the farthest left point away from the entrance of your home

involve mercury or jupiter in your spellwork (luck, money)

anoint candles with mercurial or jovian oils and/or herbs and burn on wednesdays or thursdays (ruled by mercury and jupiter)

use prosperity/luck runes or craft sigils to carve into candles

on the first of the month, you can do the following: say "rabbit rabbit" for good luck all month and let that be the first thing you say when you wake up; blow powdered cinnamon into your front door from the outside or place a cinnamon stick above your front door for prosperity

craft a crystal grid using prosperity/lucky crystals - where you place it is up to you

Please be wary: - of putting essential oils directly on the skin or on items that your skin may come in contact with - of leaving crystals in prolonged sunlight (might fade) or exposed to liquid (might dissolve, might become toxic when dissolved) - of blowing cinnamon into a home or using incense that has pets, or humans with respiratory issues - ingesting/burning/touching herbs/plants/etc. that you are not familiar with (could be toxic, could affect the efficacy of your prescribed medications, could be harmful for pets or other members of your household)

compiled from my personal grimoire & based on my personal associations & research

© 2024 ad-caelestia

Welp...gotta love Kansas weather...❄️❄️

Busy mums

Progress! I went over to Dillon's today because I needed to get some money orders, and I wanted to check on my job application status. There's like three job postings over there. One of the ladies over there was an old coworker of mine in the kitchen. She told me the woman who does the HR stuff will be there on Wednesday, and told me just to come in that day!

I love library journeys!!

i had a dream that one of the things i did to more, like, apart of the community was go to the local library - weird because i'm not much of a leisurely reader.

but i'm not from here!! so going anywhere alone still freaks me out even after two years.

for whatever reason, i have received a sign to go to the library so i may very well do just that.

Accidentally came out to my mom as being bisexual, and she was stunned and upset. She asked if that was just another way of saying I'm a whore.