Lester Dore- The Green Man at Stonehenge

wonder how many of us on the Death Work/Witch Path struggled with abandonment and betrayal. there's a certain element of a death of trust that haunts us. I haven't ever literally died but I feel as if parts of me have died over and over again bec I was left alone, I was abandoned and made to feel small and like I had to make up for being me

death has surrounded me and chipped at me for years. It's no wonder I have found so much peace and comfort from deities who have walked hand in hand with death and chaos

there's a loneliness in death I understand and working with the dead and death gods feels less lonely and like I'm helping people make sure they're not forgotten too

My spirit soars where the air goes thin.

September when the leaves begin to fall.

To Ward a Natural Space

This is a Ward that defends a natural area against those who would disrespect the land. It was taught to me by the Glaoming Folk, and I have since been given permission to share the process in hopes that others might use it to protect their own beloved ecological sites. It is worth noting that this ward only seems to have a range of about 20 to 40 feet, which I realize isn't necessarily ideal, but when strategically placed, multiple wards can be used to create a 'warding net' across an area.

To make this Ward, a switch must be harvested from a propitiated Crabapple tree, which is then split in half to create a pair of sticks measuring approximately the same length. Thereafter, a long and thin runner of blackberry bramble is collected and harvested—ideally from a place with fae activity—and is stripped of leaves. A God's Eye is then woven using the Crabapple sticks and the Blackberry brambles, working one's intent into every turn of the Weaving, before a tuft of Hare's fur is ensnared within the center of the ward. All of this must be done bare-handed, as every prick and drop of blood serves to strengthen the will of the Ward and appease the Spirit of the Blackberry, which lends its power to this magic.

The resultant device can then either be hung with twine, or simply placed in a fitting spot. It has shown itself to be quite helpful in discouraging those who would litter or mar a natural space from doing so. While littering and tree carving hasn't gone away entirely since beginning to use these, it has most certainly dropped significantly—and only in the places where they are employed.

sean glatch pomegranate \ georgy nikolsky for pytor manteufel’s tales of a naturalist \ sean glatch pomegranate \ ursula le guin tales from earthsea: “dragonfly” 

shout me a coffee

7/3/23 - Reston, Virginia

inatt, 2014 - www.moornebheym.de - facebook - etsy

Headwaters

Exorcism by Knife:

A Welsh Magical Tradition

One traditional practice I learned of growing up is that of the Exorcism by Knife—an occult concept that has analogues across cultures, but is uniquely Welsh within the context of my family traditions.

The Exorcism by Knife is a Welsh notion, encompassing the belief that a blade can be employed to ward off Faeries of malevolent intent. While this is best undertaken by a Faery Doctor or otherwise faerie-touched individual, it appears that even a common knife in the hand of a common man was believed enough to keep away a member of the The Gwyllion (a sect of Welsh Faery often believed to inhabit the mountains, and generally seen as malicious.) Despite the insularly Wesh quality of this practice, there is an old superstition, widely prevalent throughout Europe, which says that to receive a blade or scissors from a friend or give one as a gift yourself will result in a “cutting” of the friendship, lest the gift receiver pay back the gift giver with some form of money—however small. While there are some tentative connections to be made between these traditional beliefs, the definitive origins of the Welsh Exorcism remain obscured. The custom goes back for at least several centuries, with multiple accounts referencing the act in the 18th and 19th centuries; however, it is likely that the practice stems, in one way or another, from the traditional belief—shared throughout much of the Celtic world—that a Faery will not tolerate the touch of cold iron.

In Wales, it is said that the Gwyllion often found their way into the homes of the people living in the parish of Aberystruth, particularly during stretches of stormy weather. The occupants of those homes entered by the Gwyllion were known to welcome the Faeries, showing all deference possible, for fear of inviting ill-luck and injury upon themselves, should they offend a Gwyll. Offense was, therefor, avoided by providing clean water for them and taking special care to assure that no blade was in, or directed towards, the hearth-side corner, where the faeries were widely believed to sit and rest by the fire.

Though such shows of inhospitality were to be avoided at all costs when dealing with the Gwyllion, it was still deemed widely acceptable in most of Wales for one to wield a blade in the open air, so as to keep any malicious Faery at bay who might want to cross a traveler and do them harm. Below, I include two accounts of the custom, which I came across while reading British Goblins (Wirt Sikes, 1880.)

“Robert Williams, of Langattock, Crickhowel, 'a substantial man and of undoubted veracity,' tells this tale: As he was travelling one night over part of the Black Mountain, he saw the Old Woman, and at the same time found he had lost his way. Not knowing her to be a spectre he hallooed to her to stay for him, but receiving no answer thought she was deaf. He then hastened his steps, thinking to overtake her, but the faster he ran the further he found himself behind her, at which he wondered very much, not knowing the reason of it. He presently found himself stumbling in a marsh, at which discovery his vexation increased and then he heard the Old Woman laughing at him with a weird, uncanny crackling old laugh. This set him to thinking she might he a gwyll; and when he happened to draw out his knife for some purpose, and the Old Woman vanished, then he was sure of it; for Welsh ghosts and fairies are afraid of a knife.”

“The cases of successful exorcism by knife are many, and nothing in the realm of faerie is better authenticated. There was Evan Thomas, who, travelling by night over Bedwellty Mountain, towards the valley of Ebwy Fawr, where his house and estate were, saw the Gwyllion on each side of him, some of them dancing around him in fantastic fashion. He also heard the sound of a bugle-horn winding in the air, and there seemed to be invisible hunters riding by. He then began to be afraid, but recollected his having heard that any person seeing Gwyllion may drive them away by drawing out a knife. So he drew out his knife, and the fairies vanished directly.”

ok so i made the mistake of standing on the beach in the dark and listen…….. listen. there is nothing that cares about you less than the ocean in the dead of night. it is tangible. you can’t fuckin see a thing. there is no horizon. it’s a ceaseless void and she cares for no one and loves nothing. you have to respect her bcs she clearly has no fuckin love for you and if she wanted she could take you and NO ONE WOULD KNOW

can i interest you in some winter pics from the cemetery near my house

The woods are lovely, dark and deep 🍃🍂

Pagan Holiday Ritual Template (Simple)

What is a ritual?

According to my definition and understanding, a ritual is simply a religious/spiritual celebration or the fancy word for a spiritual work. What makes it special is its structure and mixture of verbal and physical acts.

1.) Preparing the space

Both physical and spiritual cleaning should be done before a ritual. We are supposed to feel safe and relaxed in the place where we are going to perform a ritual. I believe it is pretty obvious how physical cleaning is performed (vacuuming the floor, wiping dust etc.). However, spiritual cleaning, that is cleansing is usually done by sprinkling some salt, or (salty) water or it is done by going around with an incense a.k.a smoke cleansing - my favourite. There are some other ways too, but these are the most common ones. The goal of cleansing is to remove any unwanted energies from the space. When it comes to my experience, since I perform my rituals at my home, I actually do not have a problem with negative energies but I still do the spiritual cleansing because it sets me in the mood for a ritual. If I am outdoors, however, then I usually leave some small offering for the natural world instead of cleansing, because I believe that the nature is actually pure in that sense.

2.) Self-cleansing

As we prepare our space, we also have to prepare ourselves for the ritual. This can be done by taking a shower or a bath, smoke cleansing, short meditation, short walk in nature etc. After this, we are supposed to be mentally and physically ready for what is to come.

3.) Drawing a sacred circle

Although this practice comes from Ceremonial Magic and Wicca, I like to use it as a part of my ritual structure. A sacred circle is supposed to be an energetic barrier, a ward that blocks unwanted energies and a place where wanted energies easily stay. From my point of view, a sacred circle is simply a border of my sacred space - as churches, mosques etc. have walls which determine a holy and special place in them, I have the sacred circle. The circle also reminds me on Stonehenge or a forest grove, so that is one reason more why I like to use it in my spiritual practice.

4.) Invocation

The word invocation comes from the Latin verb invocare, which means "to call on", "to beg for", "to cite". In this part deities, ancestors and the other beings could be invited to join the ritual. When I say "invite", I must say that so far I have never experienced anything supernatural (nor I have such expectations - at least not anymore) but this step is important for me because I believe that deities and ancestors are going to pay much more attention to me and to what I am going to say. I also like the gest of acknowledging that they are welcome in my sacred and special place.

5.) Celebration

This part of a ritual is what could be called a classic religious celebration. At this stage I usually firstly pray to the deities and my ancestors, then I put on some appropriate music, I contemplate about things that are related to the holiday I am celebrating, I do some divination etc. It is my favourite part of a ritual because it is the most informal - I can freely enjoy in all the beauty of my pagan path and practice.

6.) Feast

The Feast is a part of the ritual where food and drink is being consumed in deities' or someone else's honor. This is the time for the offerings.

7.) Closing

This is the end of a ritual. A farewell is bid to the deities, ancestors and the other beings, if they were called, and the sacred circle is being closed.

Note: This template is how I do my rituals. Not everyone's rituals must or should look like this - that is mostly why I wrote a lot of my thoughts and experiences, to maintain the subjectivity of this template. I hope some of you will find it useful for your spiritual/religious practice.

This one is mostly tailored to my Pagan siblings, but it's on my mind today!

I think sometimes people forget diversity of belief has always been a thing. Atheists have always existed, casual worshippers have always existed, unconventional worshippers have always existed. Not every Hellenic Polytheist in Ancient Greece would have been this deeply devout and regularly-observant person whose life and heart revolves around the gods, just like not every Christian in the United States is this deeply devout person who connects to their faith every day.

Its easy to view ancient practices as more of a monolith because only the most devout things are going to survive this long/be factored in as evidence of how the religion works, but that doesn't mean there weren't people who really only tuned in for the big holidays and festivals, or people who didn't believe like their family did but went along for social/cultural reasons, or just people who didn't feel the need to be that spiritual.

In the modern day, most Pagans only have access to a faith community online, in spaces dedicated to talking about it. Blogs focused on religion aren't going to reflect the other stuff those people do in their lives, or how often their religion comes up outside of the blog. Not to mention most people aren't born into these smaller religions, so people are naturally more enthusiastic when it's something they've actively discovered and chosen. (Let's be real, lots of us have born-again enthusiasm!) All this can add pressure, too.

I guess what I mean to say is it's okay if your faith isn't what you define yourself by. It doesn't make you less of a Hellenic Polytheist/Heathen/Pagan/Wiccan etc. if your world doesn't revolve around it, if you don't check in every day or observe the holiday calendar closely. It's not "bad" or abnormal to not be one of the most devout. It's okay.

Devotional Journaling

I cannot express the importance of daily (or weekly) devotional and gratitude journaling. Writing letters to the Gods and expressing my devotion and gratitude for them directly connects me to them in an unexplainable way. This is great way to offer devotional acts.

Some things I like to include in my journal:

• Prayers

• Poems

• Reminders of them

• Drawings

• Printed Pictures

• Letters

• Gratitude

• Pressed Flowers

• Polaroids

• Manifestations

• Affirmations