Ya’ll Better Be Respecting Trans Folks Or Your Pronouns Are Gonna Be Was/were

May 2024 witch guide

Full moon: May 23rd

New moon: May 7th

Sabbats: Beltane-May1st

May Flower Moon

Known as: Bright Moon, Budding Moon, Dyad Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Frog Moon, Hare Moon, Leaf Budding Moon, Merry Moon, Moon of the Shedding Ponies, Planting Moon, Sproutkale, Thrimilcmonath & Winnemanoth

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Taurus & Gemini

Nature spirits: Elves & Faeries

Deities: Aphrodite, Artemis, Bast, Cernunnos, Diana, Frigga, Flora, Horned God, Kali, Maia, Pan, Priapus & Venus

Animals: Cat, leopard & lynx

Birds: Dove, Swallow & Swan

Trees: Hawthorne & rowan

Herbs: Cinnamon, dittany of Crete, Elder, mint, mugwort & thyme

Flowers: Foxglove, lily of the valley & rose

Scents: Rose & sandalwood

Stones: Amber, Apache tear, carnelian, emerald, garnet, malachite, rose quartz, ruby, tourmaline & tsavorite

Colors: Brown, green, orange, pink & yellow

Energy:  Abundance, creative energy, faerie & spirit contact, fertility, intuition, love, marriage, material gains, money, propagation, prosperity, real-estate dealings, relationships & tenacity

May’s Flower Moon name should be no surprise; flowers spring forth across North America in abundance this month!

• “Flower Moon” has been attributed to Algonquin peoples, as confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario.

May’s Moon was also referred to as the “Month of Flowers” by Jonathan Carver in his 1798 publication, Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America: 1766, 1767, 1768 (pp. 250-252), as a likely Dakota name. Carver stayed with the Naudowessie (Dakota) over a period of time; his expedition covered the Great Lakes region, including the Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.

Beltane

Known as: Beltaine, May day, Roodmas & Cethsamhain

Season: Spring

Symbols: Eggs, faeries, fire, flowers & maypoles

Colors: Blue, dark yellow, green, light pink, orange, red, white yellow & rainbow spectrum

Oils/Incense: Frankincense, lilac, passion flower, rose, tuberose & vanilla

Animals: Bee, cattle, goat & rabbit

Mythical: Faeries

Stones: Bloodstone, emerald, lapis lazuli, orange carnelian, rose quartz & sapphire

Food: Beltane cakes, cherries, dairy foods, farls, green herbal salads, honey, meade, nuts, oat cakes, oats, strawberries & sweets

Herbs/Plants: Almond, ash tree, birch, bramble, cinquefoil, damiana, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, meadowsweet, mushroom, rosemary, saffron, satyrion root, St.John's wort & woodruff

Flowers: Angelica, bluebell, daisy, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lilac, marigold, primrose, rose, rose hips & yellow cowslips

Trees: Ash, cedar, elder, fir, hawthorn, juniper, linden, mesquite, oak, pine, poplar, rowan & willow

Goddesses: Aphrodite, Areil, Artemis, Cybele, Danu, Diana, Dôn, Eiru, Elen, Eostre, Fand, Flidais, Flora, Freya, Frigga, Maia, Niwalen, Rhea, Rhiannon, Var, Venus & Xochiquetzal

Gods: Baal, Bacchnalia, Balder, Belanos, Belenus, Beli, Beltene, Cernunnos, Cupid, Faunus, Freyr, Grannus, The Green Man, Lares, Lugh, Manawyddan, Odin, Pan, Puck & Taranis

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Agriculture, creativity, fertility, lust, marriage, the otherworld/Underworld, pleasure, psychic ability, purification, sensuality, sex/uality, visions, warmth & youth

Spellwork: Birth, Earth magick, healing, health & pregnancy

Activities:

• Create a daisy chain or floral decorations

• Decorate & dance around a Maypole

• Set up an outdoor altar & leave offerings to faeries

• Prepare a ritual bath with fresh flowers

• Light a bonfire or candles & dance around them

• Set aside time for self care

• Gather flowers & use them to decorate your home or altar

• Prepare a feast to celebrate with friends/family

• Make flower crowns

• Bake bannocks, oat cakes or cookies

• Hang wreaths decorated with ribbons & flowers

• Plant flowers in your garden

• Start a wish book/box/journal

• Go on a walk & gice thanks to nature⁸

• Cast fertility or a bunch spells

• Fill small baskets of flowers & small goodies, then leave them on your friends/neighbors doorstep as a gesture of goodwill & friendship

Beltane is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature and is associated with important events in Irish mythology. Also known as Cétshamhain ('first of summer'), it marked the beginning of summer & was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect cattle, people & crops, and to encourage growth. (Today, Witches who observe the Wheel of the Year celebrate Beltane as the height of Spring.)

Special bonfires were kindled, whose flames, smoke & ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around or between bonfires & sometimes leap over the flames or embers. All household fires would be doused & then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.

These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered to the aos sí. Doors, windows, byres and livestock would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire.

In parts of Ireland, people would make a May Bush: typically a thorn bush or branch decorated with flowers, ribbons, bright shells & rushlights. Holy wells were also visited, while Beltane dew was thought to bring beauty & maintain youthfulness.

• The aos sí (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane. Like Samhain, which lies directly opposite from Beltane on the Wheel of the Year, this was seen as a time when the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. At Samhain the veil between the worlds of the living & the dead is thin enough that we can connect & convene with our beloved dead, here at Beltane it’s the veil between the human world, and the world of faeries & nature spirits that has grown thin. Offerings would be left at the ancient faerie forts, the wells and in other sacred places in an effort to appease these nature spirits to ensure a successful growing season.

Some believe this is when The Goddess is now the Mother & the God is seen as the Green Man or the wild stag. It celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess & God & heralds in the coming summer months. It represents life rather than Samhain on the opposite side of the Wheel of the Year.

Other Celebrations:

• Rosealia- May 23rd

Rosalia or Rosaria was a festival of roses celebrated on various dates, primarily in May, but scattered through mid-July. The observance is sometimes called a rosatio ("rose-adornment") or the dies rosationis, "day of rose-adornment," & could be celebrated also with violets. As a commemoration of the dead, the rosatio developed from the custom of placing flowers at burial sites. It was among the extensive private religious practices by means of which the Romans cared for their dead, reflecting the value placed on tradition (mos maiorum, "the way of the ancestors"), family lineage & memorials ranging from simple inscriptions to grand public works. Several dates on the Roman calendar were set aside as public holidays or memorial days devoted to the dead.

Roses had funerary significance in Greece, but were particularly associated with death & entombment among the Romans. In Greece, roses appear on funerary steles  & in epitaphs most often of girls. Flowers were traditional symbols of rejuvenation, rebirth &memory, with the red & purple of roses & violets felt to evoke the color of blood as a form of propitiation

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

so can we start hunting down white liberals now or what

Methods of Spell Work

To Banish: • Burning to ashes and sweeping away the ashes • Cast out a window, down a cliffside, etc • Bury it and spit on the spot

To Bind: • Wrap in black thread • Cover in wax or other material • Seal in jar and hide in dark spot

To Hide: • Wrap in ribbon • Place in a (painted) black jar or other container • Cover in cloth or other material and bury

To Encourage: • Plant or bury near the front door/steps • Plant or bury near a window • Place near a window

To Communicate*: • Anoint a candle • Leave out an offering • Meditate • Open the front door and/or windows

To Glamour: • Leave under the full moon • Work with its reflection

To Cleanse: • Bury in salt • Burn herbs and pass through the smoke • Let it bathe in the moonlight

To Protect: • Leave sigils/wards on doors and windows • Carry sigils/wards on every day items (keys, phone case, etc) • Enchant jewelry with protection spells

*: Communication with deities, spirit guides, etc

Witchcraft - Where do I start?

I wrote this for a server but I felt that this should also be on here(: Beginning your practice can be overwhelming, especially with the vast amount of information available. I recommend starting off with:

Learning about yourself

Finding out what interests you is the best place to start. What reaches out to you? Do you connect with the elements? The cosmos? Do you have an affinity for any particular thing? Explore the topics you feel drawn to, do thorough research, and practice. Develop your own personal set of beliefs and practices.

Discernment

Learn to recognize magickal events and signs from mundane phenomena. (I'll reblog with a separate research and discernment post).

Reading & Research

Read! Read blogs, articles, and anything else you can get your hands on. Become knowledgeable in practical topics as well as theories behind the many aspects of witchcraft—knowing how things work in the physical realm will help you understand and better apply things in the metaphysical realm.

What should I begin researching?

The Essentials

History & Culture

Think about the things you want to include in your craft, and learn about its history and the cultural context behind it. Asking questions like, “Is it open to me? How did the people before me practice?” shows respect for its origins and to the people who practiced before you.

Learn to become socially aware. Learn about why using certain terms (such as smudging, spirit animal, totem, g*psy, etc.) is harmful and something you should never do. Learn about cultural appropriation.

Family History

Finding out about your family history can be difficult for some. If you are able, ask your family members what regions they come from. Ask them about family beliefs and practices.

If you are unable to trace your family lineage, knowing what region your family comes from and researching the beliefs and practices of that region is a good place to start.

Safety

Physical safety: fire safety, and ingredient safety (toxic substances, toxic mixtures and combinations, edible and inedible plants, etc.)

Spiritual safety: protection, cleansing, warding, psychic protection, etc.

Other beginner friendly topics

Basics of witchcraft

Intent and visualisation

Cleansing and warding

Clairs

Meditation

Herbology

Elemental magick

Candle magick

Correspondences: Learn the correspondences for herbs, ingredients, colours, numbers, and anything else you plan to use in your craft.

Vetting resources and reading critically

(guide will be reblogged!)

Read critically: remember to always look for hidden intentions in resources. Ask yourself:

Is the content informational?

What does the author/organisation stand for?

Is this site/author trying to sell me something?

Reminders

Respect that other practitioners have their own beliefs and own ways of doing things.

It’s okay to make mistakes! Mistakes are valuable learning opportunities.

you’ll never know

Beltane Resource Masterpost

A collection of categorized links for your Beltane needs! What is Beltane? [X] Beltane is celebrated between April 30th to May 1st (October 31st to November 1st in the S. Hemisphere) and is also called: May Day, Lá Bealtaine, and Beltaine!

The Basics:

Beltane correspondences

More Beltane correspondences!

Tidbits on Beltane / Beltane tips

Things to do on Beltane / Activities and ideas / Celebrate Beltane

Beltane for lazy witches / Beltane on a budget

Urban witch on Beltane

Beltane Crafts:

Fae offerings for Beltane

Beltane crafts

DIY flower pressing

Flower ink (in 3 steps)

Beltane Recipes:

Traditional Beltane foods

Beltane foods

Beltane fried honey cakes

Bealtaine recipe list

Beltane fae tea

Beltane Spells:

Beltane eve fairy spell

Beltane solitary rituals

Beltane life chant

Bealtaine pet protection prayer

Self love bath sachet

Beltane spell jar

Beltane Tarot Spreads:

Beltane growth spread (3 card)

Spring garden tarot spread (3 card)

The Beltane fire tarot spread (6 card)

Beltane tarot spread (6 card)

Spring spread! (6 card)

Beltane blessings (7 card)

Spring tarot spread (16 card)

Other:

What to put on your altar for Beltane!

Beltane masterpost

The witch’s Beltane playlist

Please inform me of broken links via askbox!

Imbolc / Ostara / Beltane / Litha / Lammas / Mabon / Samhain / Yule / Bedridden ideas

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here's a reminder...

...to stop and breathe. maybe get a drink of water to hydrate yourself.

going on at it without a break can overwhelm you, rendering you unable to make rational decisions. hence it's important to take such small breaks when you feel burdened by work or emotions.

these can help you take it easy and regroup your thoughts to face the situation. keep calm and carry on ✨

Ostara 💐

🍄 Also known as the spring equinox

🍄 Takes place around March 21st, but the exact date varies each year. It is the midway point between the winter and summer solstices

🍄 Herbs: mint, jasmine

🍄 Flowers: daffodil, lily, tulip, violet, lilac

🍄 Trees: willow, pine, olive, elder

🍄 Animals: chick, hare, robin, lamb, butterfly

🍄 Foods: eggs, chocolate, dairy, sunflower seeds, warm bread

🍄 Crystals: clear quartz, agate, rose quartz, aquamarine, amazonite

🍄 Colors: yellow, purple, green, pink, blue, white

🍄 Incense: rose, jasmine, strawberry, vanilla, cedarwood

🍄 Decorations: flowers, ribbon, baskets, pot of soil with a new seed

🍄 Deities: Persephone, Aphrodite, Eostre

🍄 Activities: Bake pastries/bread, plant seeds for a garden