By Yanadhyana

Magic circles were originally cast with flour. From Wikipedia: Zisurrû, meaning “magic circle drawn with flour was an ancient Mesopotamian means of delineating, purifying and protecting from evil by the enclosing of a ritual space in a circle of flour. The choice of flour was crucial to the purpose of the ritual, with šemuš-flour reserved (níĝ-gig) for repelling ghosts, wheat-flour for rituals invoking personal gods and šenuḫa-barley to encircle beds, presumably to counter disease-carrying demons.

So Arizona launched an “education hotline” that allows “concerned parents” to report “””critical race theory””” and other things like ~gender identity~ being taught in the classroom

It would be a shame if the number and email were spread to bad actors looking to prank call the AZ Department of Education

602-771-3500 or empower @ azed .gov 🤡

🌙French traditional witchcraft!

🌙Sorcellerie traditionnelle française!

🍄Reblog si tu es un.e sorcier.ère française ou intéressé.e par la sorcellerie française !

🍄Reblog if you are a french witch or if you are interested in French witchcraft!

[ Bells ] /French Folk Traditions.

1. “Living Entities”____

Since the Middle Ages, the ringing of church bells punctuated daily life and alerted folks in case of danger.

They are also considered as almost living entities : they have a voice and are baptized like children.

At Easter, when they are silent, “they’ve gone on a trip to Rome.”

In the 16th century, J. Wier tells us that the common people are convinced that the devil knocks down the bells that have not been baptized, while those that have been baptized drive out demons and storms.

Father Thiers will explain that they are not baptized but simply blessed, even if they are given, as is the custom, a godfather and a godmother.(…)

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2. Omens_____

In one of her letters (April 1680) a nun from the convent of Loudun recounts that a bell wheel broke while the bell was ringing for the burial of the “Mother of the Cross”. This was immediately taken to be “an omen of some affliction which was to befall the community” à sand indeed, a fortnight later, the mother prioress died [while] in good health.

In the Côtes-d'Armor, the more or less harmonious sound of the bells reveals to a young mother who has just given birth whether her first child will live or die ; for the omen to be favorable, she must succeed in placing the words of a song on the melody that she seems to hear in the ringing of the bells. (this one is for you @hillsarehollow 🧡)

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3. Storm Chasers / Hex Chasers_____

“During the storms, one runs immediately to the bells and one makes them ring with all force and with all their might, as if they were a sovereign remedy…” (Wier, 1569)

In Vosges, they say that you have to act as soon as the first rumbles of thunder strike, because if you ring them too late, they tear up the clouds and cause hail to fall.

The bells are also rung at certain times of the year to protect the territory of the parish from the evil spells of the devil and sorcerers.

Father Thiers relates that a bell must be rung for 24 hours on the eve of Saint John at dawn. (Haute-Marne, Moselle, Vosges, Rhône.)

The bells are also rung on the night of Saint Agatha (February 5) to scare away the witches running around that night.

It should be noted that the protective virtue of bells extends to cowbells and other bells that are suspended from the neck of cattle, against disease, lightning and evil spells.

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[ Miscellaneous outputs from Sébillot, Van Gennep, and M. Delmas]

(& a solstice gift @toverijennspokerij, @graveyarddirt, @poemsandmyths) 🧡

‘Mercury’ ‘Saturnia’ ‘I am Adonai’ ‘Spirit Forest III’ art by C. M. Kosemen

🌳

What is the distinction between a mage, a wizard, a sorcerer, and a witch? Is there one?

Hello there.

I think it's a question many have, and understandably so. I'm no expert in the anthropological distinction between traditions, but I'll do my best to answer.

To a certain degree, all the terms are somewhat conflated, but there is some nuance to the meanings behind the words.

Where my usage is cocnerned, Mage is a name that essentially describes any practitioner of any kind of magical tradition. It is basically synonymous with magician. Though, the former has become associated with fantasy fiction to an extent, while the latter has become more closely associated with illusionist performers.

Wizard is a term that was often historically associated with Cunning Folk, and Cunning Men in particular. The etymological roots of the word amounts to 'wise individual.' Though myth, folklore, and modern fiction have all done much to fantasize the term, the core connotation of the word is still—so far as I'm concerned—a member of the Wise.

A Sorcerer is a bit vaguer in its specific meaning, but it ultimately amounts to an individual who practices magic—particularly magic seen as "dark" in nature. Though the original meaning of the word referred to 'one who casts lots' (told fortunes/performed divination,) sometime in the 15th century, that meaning was displaced by the definition of 'one who conjures evil spirits.' With all that in mind, I would say that sorcerer and witch are the most closely aligned of the terms mentioned here.

Finally, and possibly most difficult to pin down precisely, is the title of Witch. Though the word does have posited etymological and historical roots in prophecy, necromancy and in generalized magic, its ultimate meaning became more clearly delineated as 'one with malignant supernatural knowledge and skills' As such (and for others reasons I'm sure you can find plenty of people discussing on the internet,) I would say that witch is a title that mostly accurately reflects a magical practitioner with the ability to use baneful power, and whose practice is generally associated in some way with Sabbatic Flight and rites of Initiation.

I hope that can help.

Localizing Your Practice

So much witchcraft emphasizes how important it is to honor and work with the Earth, but then teaches us spells with ingredients we basically have to import using locations we don’t have access to. It’s rare to find an existing grimoire or guide book that actually works with where we live. We can still use them, but it doesn’t enhance our connection to our local land, which to many can feel important. Here are some tips for localizing your practice and working with the land you actually live on.

See what nature exists around you. Explore your own backyard with a critical eye. What plants can you actually go and pick yourself? What are those plants associated with? Do you have access to a creek or river? What does your local land actually have on it? If magic correspondences for your local plants haven’t been written about, you may have to do your own research. Example: I grow several plants on my back porch which I can potentially use for magic.There are magnolia trees and rhodedendrons on the grounds of my apartment complex. My parent’s neighbors have chickens in the backyard, so I have access to some feathers when they shed. 

Check out local folklore, legends, etc. This is one of my favorite parts, but can also be the hardest. What are the stories of your area, both on a local and cultural scale. Example: A West Virginian may incorporate legends of the Mothman. Everyone says that one building on my old college campus is haunted (and they’re right.) People talk about that liminal-space feeling when you drive down that one road at night.

Find the magic spots. Sometimes the urban legends will tip you off to these (usually in a bad way) but other times you can find them on your own. A place where the energy is just right for some reason. A place you can go to be closer to nature, or a place you could host a ritual if needed. Sometimes it’s just a place where you can feel your mind open a little bit. Example: The shady corner of a public park. The tunnel downtown. That weirdly-perfect circle of trees in the woods behind Wal-Mart.

Meet your land wights. Spirits of the local land. This could be the fair folk, but also house spirits, the spirits of the trees near you, the nature spirits of wherever you are. They’re there. Be good to them and they’ll be good to you! Note: Some spirits and wights will not be interested in working with you, and that’s okay. I generally think it’s good to at least leave a polite offering to just be on general decent terms even if you never work with them more directly beyond that. 

Check in with your Seasons. Harvest holidays generally don’t have actual lifestyle importance to most people reading this. The seasonal shifts other people write about may be from a very different climate than yours! Figure out a calendar that works for you. It doesn’t have to be detailed, but something that ties you to the seasons as you actually experience them. I also love working in any fun annual festivals nearby, if any.

Shadowhunters has becoming one of those book series (and tv series) that feels like home. I come back to it again and again when I need to be uplifted. The world that Cassandra Clare has created and the characters she’s filled it with feel like old friends and family. Getting my first mark is a big BIG deal and I wanted it to really mean something. This rune, the iratze, is a rune of healing. I placed it on my inner forearm to remind me of what I’ve survived and that I am constantly healing and growing. It’s fitting that this is also the first rune Clary receives in the books, though that was more of a happy accident. Remember ShadowFam to always keep fighting, for in you is the blood of angels. ~This is the Hunt~ (peep the demon necklace too 🖤) #shadowhunters #theshadowhunterschronicles #angelicrune #mark #rune #shadowhunterrune #iratze #healing #survivor https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck4GSoLhVg-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“In Nomine Babalon” #witch #traditionalwitchcraft #pagan #paganism #goddess #babalon #folkwitch #rosary #prayerbeads #cunningwoman #sorcery #devotion #deity #deitywork #spiritwork https://www.instagram.com/p/Cio1IXtO4cp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=