KITCHEN WITCHERY
HAPPINESS - Chamomile, Lemon Balm, St Johns Wort, Oregano
MONEY- Spearmint, Basil, Cinnamon, Ginger
SUCCESS - Bay Laurel, Lemon balm, Lovage
BANISHING - Chilli Pepper, Mandrake, Frankincense, Mugwort, Rosemary
WISDOM - Thyme, Cinnamon
LOVE - Jasmine, Rose, Meadowsweet, Coriander, Basil, Marjoram
FERTILITY - Myrtle, Geranium, Mandrake, Mistletoe, Clary Sage, Fennel
HEALING - Calendula, Allspice, Elderberry, Ginger, Eucalyptus, Lavender
PROTECTION - Angelica, Lavender, Aloe Vera, Agrimony, Star Anise, Salt
PSYCHIC POWER - Frankincense, Yarrow, Bay Laurel, Mugwort
PURIFYING - Rosemary, Juniper, Sweetgrass
A collection of our favorite love (and love auxiliary) spells for Valentine’s Day and all year long. Remember to ask for consent before casting!
Shower Disks for Attracting Love
Love Spell for a 3rd Party
Jar for Attracting Romance
“Funnel of Love” Spell
Love Drawing Bath Soak
Bring Love My Way Spell
Simple Love Spell
Simple Spell Jar for Love
The Love Stone
Love Spell Cocktail
Kitchen Witchcraft Pies for a Lover
Strength of Love Spell
Spell to Strengthen Love
To Make a Relationship Stronger
Tea for Lust and Romance
Spell for Passion
‘Shot to the Lust’ Mix
Sex Spell Candle
Mermaid’s Kiss Enchantment
Sex Drive Sachet
Rose Romance Spray
Spell to Improve Sex Life
Goddess Glamour Bath
Goddess Glamour Shower Disks
Glamour Solid Perfume
Notice Me Glamour Spell
Lingerie Glamour Spray
Glamour Facial Scrub
The site Tobar An Dualchais is a collection of historic audio recordings in Scotland, and that includes songs. I collected just some of the folklore related ones into a list for you all.
I have no talent in singing, so I will have to leave that up to the rest of you. Some are in English, and other are in Gaelic.
(link) A MHÒR, A MHÒR, TILL RID MHACAN. "This song, which was used as a cradle song, was said to have been a lament composed by a water-horse(each-uisge) whose mortal lover had gone, taking their child with her. He is pleading with her to return. " (Recorded in 1956)
(link) A GHAOIL LEIG DHACHAIGH GU MO MHÀTHAIR MI "This song takes the form of a conversation between a girl and a water-horse. The girl is asking him to let her return home to her mother. The water-horse has other ideas. It is clear from the last verse that the girl escaped. " (Recorded in 1954)
(link) 'ILLE BHIG, 'ILLE BHIG SHUNNDAICH Ò "This is a fairy song. It was said to have been composed by a girl who was in love with a water-horse. As the song describes, he was killed by her brothers. The song lists some of the gifts he had promised to give the girl. " (Recorded in 1963)
(link) ÒRAN NA MAIGHDINN-MHARA "In this song a mermaid says that she was deceived. She fell in love with a man even though he was human and she was a mermaid. Her sleep is unsettled when there is bad weather. " (Recorded in 1963)
(link) THE GREAT SELKIE OF SULE SKERRY "Supernatural ballad in which a woman bears a son to a selkie." (Recorded in 1973)
(link) THE SELKIE "The woman is speculating on who her baby's father is, when he appears and tells her he is Gunhaemilar and he is a selkie [seal man]. She is distraught and turns down his proposal of marriage. He tells her to nurse the baby for seven years, then he will return and pay her. He comes back and she asks him to marry her, but he rejects her in the same words she used to turn him down. He says he will put a gold chain round his son's neck so she will know him. She marries a gunner who shoots both the selkie and his son and she dies of a broken heart. " (Recorded in 1971)
(link) UNKNOWN "A Shetland song mentioning the selkies." (Recorded in 1985)
(link) MORAG'S FAIRY GLEN "Song of a man telling the beauty of Morag's Fairy Glen, and bidding his love to meet him there. " (Recorded in 1952)
(link) FAIRY DANCE "This is the reel 'Fairy Dance' played on the fiddle. " (Recorded in 1970)
(link) CRODH CHAILEIN "This song belongs to the fairy songs tradition and was used as a milking song or lullaby. Colin's cattle referred to in the song are the deer. " (Recorded in 1955)
(link) TÀLADH NA MNATHA SÌDHE "This song is a fairy cradle song in which the speaker says she would wander in the night with her beloved child. Sections of the song contain vocables which belong to the piping tradition." (Recorded in 1970)
(link) HORO 'ILLE DHUINN SHUNNDAICH "A song in which a woman tells of the murder of her fairy lover who promised her the kertch of a married woman." (Recorded in 1994) (link) HÈ O HÒ A RAGHNAILL UD THALL "In this fairy song, a fairy woman is trying to get a herdsman called Ronald to come across a river to her. Fairies cannot cross water." (In some stories, certain types of fairies can't cross running water) (Recorded in 1953)
(link) HÓRO 'ILLE DHUINN SHUNNDAICH "Song about a woman with a fairy lover." (Recorded in 1962)
(link) ÒRAN AN LEANNAIN-SÌTH "In this song the bard tells of being visited by a fairy lover. She asks him to make her a song, which will win an award at the Mod. He describes her beautiful appearance and sweet voice. She promises to give him a magic wand. She tells him about some of her deeds, and reminds him to make the song as she requested." (Recorded in 1960)
🌞LITHA LOOSE INCENSE🌞
Dry ingredients:
Sunflower petals (Sun, growth, warmth, joy, vitality)
Lavender (peace, love, healing)
Raspberry leaf (love, protection, kindness, patience)
Hibiscus flowers (Sun, harmony, joy, balance)
Dragon's Blood incense cones x2 (love, protection, spell boost)
Oils:
Benzoin (prosperity, purification, warmth)
Orange (Sun, cleansing, happiness)
Ylang-ylang (harmony, dispels fear, relaxation, healing)
Geranium (happiness, prosperity, cleansing)
Enjoy, my pagan, witchy babes! 🖤
A lot of people talk about color correspondences with candles, but a candle's potential in magic runs way deeper than that! Here's a list of things I don't see people mention as much:
Carve out a small hole in the bottom of the candle and stuff it with herbs, a name, whatever else you want to "fill" the candle with.
Etch sigils, symbols, names, and other things into the candle before burning! (I like the idea of writing my problems/worries onto the candle then watching as they burn and melt away.)
Much like loading a candle, mix your herbs in an oil or have a pre-made magical oil ready to cover your candle in before lighting.
Chop off the top of the candle, flip it upside down, and carve a new wick out of the bottom (now top.) This is a good way to inverse its symbolism!
Not all candles are little cylenders. Candles shaped like pyramids, spheres, hearts, skulls, or animals can all have those correspondences taken into account as well.
Some candles are meant to only burn for a short period of time then be blown out. (Like birthday candles.) Others are meant to burn continuously over multiple days (like yahrzeit candles or seven-day candles.) Others can be lit or extinguished as you please. Which one makes the most sense for your goals?
A candle flame is a light in the darkness, drawing things near. It's also literal fire which can burn away whatever it touches. Which one is your candle trying to do, burn out something undesired or serve as a beacon for what you DO desire? Plan accordingly.
Always a classic, you can read the shapes made from the wax once the spell is complete to get a gage of how things went/are going. Followup information is always good and can tell you a lot!!
Healing wells, which are springs or small pools of water thought to be magical, have a long history of tradition that dates back to pagan times.
“In pagan times, wells and springs were believed to be inhabited by a spirit or divinity, who caused the waters to have healing properties to those who drank of them or bathed in them, at the same time propitiating the divinity with an offering.” “The misty isle of Skye : Its scenery, It’s people, Its story” by Eneas Mackay, Stirling, (1927)
I am going to try to cover the basics of them as quick as possible, so please bear with me if I skip bits as I try to keep this post a reasonable length. If I miss a fact you love, please share it for everyone to read.
“Wherever there was a spring, there was life; where-ever there was life, there was a spirit; and each river and loch, each burn and tarn, each bubbling spring had its own deity. In some instances, this primitive guardian deity is found in animal form. Martin mentions a well at Kilbride, in Skye, with only one trout in it. ‘The natives are very tender of it,’ he says, ‘and though they may catch it in their wooden pails, they are careful to prevent it from being destroyed.’ In the well at Kilmore, in Lome, there used to be two fishes that were revered by the folk as lasg sianta, holy fishes.” The Silver Bough: Volume 1 by F. Marian McNeill (1957-1968)
It could be gathered that each holy well in Scotland once had a known spirit or fairy living there, but even the water itself was said to hold power. Jumping over running water was said to be protection from some unseelie fairies, and streams were often were the sites of important events.
“A bargain made over running water was indissoluble. It is the old calling of water as a witness. Lovers who desired to plight their vows with peculiar solemnity repaired to a burn, stood on opposite banks, dipped their fingers into the water, clasped hands across the stream, and so exchanged their vows. It was thus that Burns plighted his troth with Highland Mary.” The Silver Bough: Volume 1 by F. Marian McNeill (1957-1968)
Today, most the wells now go by the name of a Saint. As well as that, while they were mostly referred to as healing wells in the past, their function now is often described as “wishing wells.” There are exceptions to this, though, such as the Fairy Well in one of the islands of the Shetland that was said to often be visited by fairies who would occasionally switch it from water into wine,get drunk, and cause mischief.
As well as that, the trees or bushes which once held the offerings — most commonly a rag from your own clothes — are now sometimes known as wishing trees or fairy trees.
“When trees beside wells had rags hung on them as offerings, they would naturally be reverenced, as the living altars for the reception of the gifts.” Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs by James M. Mackinlay (1893)
(Tony Atkin / Strips of Cloth on the Cloutie Tree / CC BY-SA 2.0)
However, other wells had other traditions as well. There might not be a tree or bush at all, and could instead be a stone to place offerings on. Even the types of traditional offerings can change drastically.
“The Cheese Well, on Minchmoor, in Peeblesshire, was so called from the pieces of cheese thrown into it by passers-by as offerings to the fairies.” Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs by James M. Mackinlay (1893)
Historically, if possible, you would try to visit a well on a quarter day before the sun was up. Then, there would be a strict set of customs. Some common themes include
Walking three times around the well.
Silvering the water (throwing in a silver coin).
Thinking of your wish while drinking from the well.
Dipping your offering in the water.
Placing your offering at the designated place.
Leave before the sun comes up.
I would not recommend drinking out of a well today, as some have signs saying the water is no longer safe. Instead, there are fairy trees or clootie trees that still have the tradition of leaving a strip of cloth, but do not have a well attached to them. The most popular of these is likely the Doon Hill and Fairy Knowe.
NOTE
If you do visit one of these sites:
For Clootie Wells: Do not bring modern synthetic fabric, since it is hard on wildlife and can kill the trees over time. There are also regular cleanups at many sites dedicated to removing such harmful fabrics. Instead, bring a biodegradable fabric. Instead, bring biodegradable fabrics, such as 100% wool or cotton.
Coin Trees: Do not hammer hammer coins into trees. The original “wishing” tree on Isle Maree died from this, so people have moved on to other trees unrelated to the tradition. It might seem harmless, but the bark is the trees immune system, that people are hammering open. As well as that, most people us copper coins, which cause copper poisoning to the tree.
Coin Wells: Some wells do ask for a coin offering, but specifically a silver coin. Copper coins can cause copper poisoning to the fish.
Finally, please research the history of the area. Not all the healing wells ask for the same offerings, and yet many people ignore that; for example, tying offerings to random trees at a well that only has the traditions of coins. As I have said above, a well even has the tradition of cheese offerings, so not all wells are the same.
Despite this, some people have started leaving plastic toys, shoes, and more. If it’s not biodegradable, its not respecting the tradition, and can kill the site.
I do not believe in gatekeeping knowledge, so this post will be sharing how I get all my folklore books for free, legally.
To explain, when a book gets over a certain age and the copyright is not upkept, it falls under “public domain.” When that happens, many different websites will provide those books as a free download.
This is not restricted to one type of book, either. You can grab anything from Sherlock Holmes to history books, to folklore, and more.
If you are looking for a specific book, you may have to check more than one source, so I suggest bookmarking more than one website.
Example Websites:
Internet Archive
Project Gutenberg
Google Books
Open Library
Electric Scotland (Scottish books)
Sacred Texts
National Library of Scotland: Ossain Collection
Forgotten Books
Hathitrust
For me when I download a book, I then upload them to my Google library so that I can use the search functions as well as bring up the books anywhere, but a popular PC option isCalibre.
If you are interested in Scotland-specific folklore, I do have some suggestions of books you can start with.
Scottish Folklore Books:
(link) A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures by Katharine Briggs (1976)
(link) Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs by James M. Mackinlay (1893)
(link) Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)
(link) The Peat-Fire Flame: Folk-Tales and Traditions of the Highlands and Islands by Alasdair Alpin MacGregor (1937)
(link) Notes on Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotland by Walter Gregor, M.A. (1881)
(link) The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans-Wentz (1911)
(link) Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland by J. Maxwell Wood (1911)
(link) Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)
(link) Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs by James M. Mackinlay (1893)
(link) Folk-Lore From The West of Ross-Shire by C.M. Robertson (1908)
(link) The Fairy Mythology / Illustrative of the Romance and Superstition of Various Countries by Thomas Keightley (1850)
(link) Popular Tales of the West Highlands by John Francis Campbell (1862)
(link) Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales by Sir George Douglas
(link) The Scottish Fairy Book By Elizabeth W. Grierson (1918)
(link)
(link) Popular Superstitions of the Highlands By W Grant Stewart (1823)
New Moon February 20th. What will you be doing?
September will be full of happiness
September will be full of blessings
September will be full of growth
September will be full of surprises
September will be full of positivity
September will be full of love
September will be full of kindness
There are many plants thought of protective in Scottish folklore, and Holly(cuileann in Gaelic) is one of them.
Holly . This name is probably a corruption of the word holy , as this plant has been used from time immemorial as a protection against evil influence . Folk Lore: Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within This Century By James Napier
Much like rowan, holly could be placed inside the house above the door as a protective seal. If done, this plant was said to protect against evil intent(including from fairies), and nightmares.
The HOLLY . Pieces of holly along with rowan were placed inside over the door of the stable to prevent the entrance of the nightmare . My informant has cut the tree for this purpose. The Folk-lore Journal (Pg41): SOME FOLK – LORE ON TREES , ANIMALS , AND RIVER FISHING , FROM THE NORTH – EAST OF SCOTLAND
If planted near the house (outside) it was also said to protect from lightning. As it turns out, they may have been right.
“We now know that the spines on the distinctively-shaped holly leaves can act as miniature lightning conductors, thereby protecting the tree and other nearby objects.” The Holly Society,
It was considered bad luck to cut down a holly tree, but cutting of boughs for use was allowed.
The only time the tree was never to be trimmed was if they grew in in boarder hedges, due to the belief that witches would run on top of hedges, but the holly would act as a barrier to stop them.
It is even said that in 1861, the Duke of Argyll even had a prospective road rerouted to avoid cutting down the holly there.
If you haven’t given an offering to your deities/spirits/ancestors/etc in a while because you feel icky mentally or physically, here are some quick and easy options:
- water (drinkable, preferably)
- make a playlist of at least 3 songs (you can add more later if you’d like)
- talk to them, just say hi, tell them what’s going on in your life
- if you’re physically able, dance or exercise a bit!!
- read or re-read stories about them if they’re a deity
- recall fond memories you’ve had together, tell them why these memories are fond
- Buy or pick a flower/plant, put it on your offering space
- buy a lil pastry and offer it to them