Look Who's In My Asks Again

Nonverbal Witchcraft

For my witches who cannot speak, struggle to speak, or choose to remain quiet.

This post is a compilation of ideas and personal methods from fellow nonverbal witches. Not everything may fit for you, but hopefully it will give you a starting point!

Spells:

Write the words and focus your energy on bringing them into being. You could burn the piece of paper to finish off the spell. One contributor also mentions burying the paper. 

Our thoughts are powerful. Focus, and say the words in your mind.

You can also mouth the words without speaking them, if that helps you.

Whispering is also great if that works for you!

Find power in silence, use it as its own tool.

Use instruments to create certain rhythms for different spells, instead of chanting. 

If sound is helpful, play music that you feel relates/connects you to the spell.

Cast circles and finalize spells by snapping.

Sigils are concentrated intention–use that to your advantage. They can absolutely be a base for spellwork. 

Use a power source; the elements (candles, soil, the air around you, a bowl of water, etc.), crystals, burning herbs, etc.

To feel energy without using words to confirm: use tools that have stronger energy that you can physically feel.  

Make spell candles, jars or sachets. 

Use sign language! I’m of the opinion that everyone should at least learn the basics, and there are plenty of free resources out there!

Specific spells:

Casting a circle: “You can cast a circle by walking in a circle and visualizing your footsteps imprinting on the earth below, creating a barrier of light (color chosen to correspond to intention at the time), walk the circle 3 times and see the barrier in your mind forming a perfect sphere around your work space, becoming brighter and stronger each step you take.”*

To banish: write the things you wish to banish on a piece of paper, light them on fire with a black candle and place in a burn bowl. 

To release and invite: use two pieces of paper. On one, write down everything you’d like to release from your life. On the other, write down everything you’d like to invite into your life. Burn the release paper and dispose of the ashes, keep the invite paper. (Optional: I like to do this on the new moon, and have a black candle above the release paper and a white candle above the invite paper).

Protective charm: (click here)

To raise you out of a dark place: (click here)

Spell of destruction: (click here)

Energy work:

Use a cajon, bells, singing bowl, steel tongue drum/moondrum, or other instruments to raise energy!

“I have a specific snapping rhythm that is ‘magic time’. When I snap the rhythm once or three times it’s go time and I fall into the zone.”*

“For energy work and to raise energy I dance and as my heartbeat gets louder in my ears I mentally chant with it, focusing on a short phrase, intention, or incantation with the energy I physically raised and the meditative repetition of my mind.”*

Use a power source; the elements, crystals, burning herbs, etc.

Most energy work involves movement, rather than words (click here for energy work with restricted movement).

Other ideas:

Worship: write letters, devote your actions, decorate an altar. Prayers don’t need to be spoken! Or write your prayers and place them on an altar, burn them, or keep them. (Bedridden worship)

Divination doesn’t require spoken word, especially once you have a bond with your tools. You can always use writing, sigils, or your thoughts to channel your intent/question. (Bedridden divination)

Charge crystals with your intent and wear them/carry them in a pouch. 

Kitchen witchcraft, garden magic, tea magic, etc. etc. 

Utilize the correspondences of the items in your life. 

You may also like:

Bedridden witch series

Bedridden witch: Discreet edition

Limited hand mobility + witchcraft

Spoonie witch masterpost

Sigils: (pain + symptoms) (mental illness + energy) (healing + misc.) 

Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Mentally ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

With suggestions and contributions from: 

@mynameisvernal, @melinoealtar, @steffithesciencewitch​, @the-corset-witch​*, @healing-sun-witch​ and anonymous. Thank you!

**Do not repost or share on other platforms - reblogging is okay!**

lt;p>)0( The Key to Happiness 
)0( ~Spell~

~<p>With a key at hand , light a white candle. Visualize the metaphorical door you wish to open with the key. ~On a piece of paper draw a door that will open to your wish. <p>
Pour some candle wax on the drawing of the door and place the key in the wax, to weld the two together. ~Let the wax cool. ~Fold the paper around the key to form a neat envelope or parcel. ~General seal all the edges with wax from the candle. ~Blow out the candle. ~
At night , toss the parcel into a fire, imagining as vividly as possible the door you are passing through. 
Pour your passion into the flames and send your desires upward. ~The spell has been cast do not dwell on your wish, because such thoughts drag it back to earth and sap it of its energy.

~Have faith in your desire becoming fulfilled. :)

~Happy casting ! :D

~The Witch Darkest of Lights

Decolonizing your Practice: Smoke Cleansing

So, the cleansing most people seem familiar with is using White sage, sometimes it comes in a kit with and Abalone shell and a feather. However these shouldn't be bought as this IS A CLOSED AND SACRED PRACTICE FOR NATIVE AMERICANS KNOWN AS SMUDGING. And if you're a non-native you should not be using White sage as it's one of their sacred Medicines.

And because I know some of y'all are too lazy to look up alternatives I'm here to help.

So Smudging is a type of Smoke cleansing—burning botanicals, resins, wood, etc. for health and/or spiritual purposes. This type of cleansing is used by many different people and faiths throughout the world so you can find a type of Smoke Cleansing that doesn't make you appropriate sacred medicine from indigenous people.

There are no excuses.

Common Ways to Smoke Cleanse

Incense Sticks

Incense Cones

Resin Incense (straight up bits of sap from trees)

Powdered Incense

Herb Bundles / Burning Bouquets.

Herbs you can use other than White Sage

Green Sage/Kitchen Sage: Cleansing and Good Luck

Russian sage: cleanses and can be used for protection

Cedar: For Cleansing negative energy and protection. (Note: Cedar is still one of the four sacred medicines of Native Americans. So while it's not closed in the same way white sage is if your in America try and either buy from Native Shops or find a store near you that works with Native People and pay them fairly)

Rosemary: rosemary is perfect for burning as a purification herb. it's burned to create a "fresh start" in life

lavender: uplift the mood, dispel negative emotion and bring in a sense of calm and relaxation

White Pine: cleanses emotions and can be used for protection

( i do know there are other herbs used for smoke cleansing I just wanted to list a few that had the same affect as White Sage does)

A spell to keep away fears of the dark and bad dreams!

Found in Cassandra Eason's book 1001 spells, under Spells for Kids

What you will need: A flashlight

Timing + place: After dark, in your bedroom

The Spell:

With the light on, walk around your bed three times (clockwise if possible) saying, "Boggitis, bogey man, scaries and hairies, you don't worry me; so out of my bedroom, and away with the faeries!"

Open and shut the door three times saying "Out you go!"

Before you get into bed, switch on the flashlight and turn off the bedroom light. Swirling the flashlight all around the room, say "Old moon, New moon, you're not very clear. Buy some new batteries and shine them down here."

Now shut your eyes and imagine the brightest moon possible as you fall asleep.

“I Recover From Fatigue”

Draw this on a bottle/cup/mug of whatever it is you’re drinking be it coffee, tea, or water

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft is a complicated business. There are lots of moving parts, dozens of things to study, and so much information to try and keep straight in your head. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. Sometimes we forget things. Not just when the full moon is (although plenty of us do) but what it is we want to do with our craft.

And sometimes we feel like we’ve lost our drive. Like whatever moved us to become witches in the first place has somehow slipped away, leaving us with just the dregs. Sometimes we feel stuck, unable to make progress. It’s easy to become frustrated too, but it’s important to push on.

To that end, I offer this exercise.

Choose a journal or open a word document and begin quantifying your craft.

Start by outlining the broad concepts. Do you follow a particular path or tradition? How would you classify your craft, i.e. green witchcraft, cottagecraft, sea witch, lunar witch, and so on? Do you work with any deities, and if so, which ones? Do you work alone or with others? How long have you been practicing? What, to you, is the most important aspect of your craft?

Then get into your working space. Do you have an altar? If so, what’s on it and why? Do you have a dedicated workspace, or a place you go to work magic outside of your home? If you could describe your ideal workspace, what would it look like? 

Next, describe your tools. Do you have cards or runes or a wand or other specialized tools that you work with? What do you use most frequently? Do you have favorites? Do you make or grow any of your components? Where do you acquire the things you use in your magic, if you can’t make them at home? Do you have a personal library? What are your favorite sources of information? Do you have ritual garb or jewelry that connects you with your craft?

Sketch out your year as a witch. What holidays do you observe and how do you celebrate them? What seasonal festivals or special occasions do you mark? Which ones do you enjoy the most? Is there a time of year when you feel more energized?

Once you have all of this recorded, think back to what first interested you in magic and witchcraft and describe that. Was it a movie? A favorite book? A personal experience? Were you raised in the craft or did you come to it on your own? What made you decide to become a witch?

Then think about how you’ve progressed since you started. Have you achieved a particular goal you set when you began, or are you closer to achieving it then you were? What have you gotten really good at? Where are you still struggling? Where would you like to be a year from now? Are there things you’d like to try but haven’t yet?

And of course, if anything else occurs to you, record that too.

There is no need to share these thoughts with anyone if you don’t want to. This is purely a personal exercise, to help you understand where you are, where you’ve come from, and where you want to go. Quantifying this information might provide some much-needed inspiration, in addition to helping you solidify any nebulous thoughts that might be floating around. It’s much easier to progress in your craft if you have an outline for what you’re already doing.

Happy Witching!

===

Want more witchcraft exercises? Check out the masterpost here.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my monthly show Hex Positive on your favorite podcast app, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

Aphrodite [Olympian, Greek]

A page from my grimoire.

Goddess of: love, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation

Zodiac sign: Taurus [ruled by Venus]

Planet: Venus

Primary Cult Centres: Cyprus, Kythera, Corinth, Cnidus, Eryx [likely more]

Lineage: Born from the sea-foam, she was birthed when Ouranus’ penis was thrown into the sea by his son Cronus. In fact, aphros means “foam.”

She was the patron goddess of all sex workers in ancient Greece. She was also the patron deity of the Lagid Queens & Queen Arsinoe II of Ptolemy Egypt (and many other prominent women).

She rewards those who honour her but her punishments can be swift and brutal.

She was by the accompanied winged godling Eros, the God of lust and sexual desire. Her main attendants are Charites, Zeus’ daughters, and goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility. Agae, Euphroyne, and Thalia; meaning, Shining, Joy, and Blooming. Her other attendants were the Themis, daughters of Zeus. The Themis are named Eunomia, Dike, Eriene; Good Order, Justice, and Peace. She is sometimes accompanied by Harmonia, her daughter, and Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera.

Aphrodite makes Pandora the first woman. She pours grace over her head and equips her with painful desire and weakening anguish. They adored her with gold jewelry and made her very beautiful & sexually attractive.

The God of fertility, Priapus, is said to be her son by Dionysus; Hera was jealous and poisoned her, so he was born hideous, and she left the infant in the wilderness.

She is married to Hephaestus but had an affair with Ares.

She plays a prominent role in the Iliad. She granted Paris the most beautiful woman for declaring her the most beautiful goddess (out of Hera and Athena). This woman was Helen of Sparta and thus the Trojan war began. She inspired Helen to sleep with Paris & saved Paris from the battlefield when fighting Helen’s husband, Menelaus.

Aphrodite can help you accept and love all aspects as yourself. She can help you love the skin your in and learn to see yourself as beautiful and desirable. She can help you treat yourself with love, tenderness, and compassion. If you have difficulties with self love, passion, and intimacy, Aphrodite would be a good goddess to work with to overcome these. Aphrodite can also teach you to honour and respect yourself. Also, to love yourself enough to create boundaries, advocate for yourself, and not let others get away with treating you poorly.

Festivals & Worship

Aphrodisia - was celebrated on the fourth day of the month of Hekatombaion [July/August] in honor of Aphrodite’s role in the unification of Attica, also important in Cyrus but celebrated in many places

Kinyrades - Held in Hekatombaiōn [July/August] and was an initiation like festivals for those becoming priests of Aphrodite. Divided into three celebrations. First four days there was an exchange of coins for salt by priest and worshipper. This practice is said to celebrate the birth of the goddess from the sea. The celebration also included athletic competitions, sea-bathing, and bloodless sacrifices. These activities followed an all-nighter in her temple, followed by lamenting Adonis & celebrating his resurrection. 

Symbols

the sea, mirrors, mountains, conch shells

Animals: doves, sea birds, sparrows, swans, bees, goats

Plants/Herbs/Food: roses, myrtles, apples, pomegranate, artichokes, laurel, ash and poplar trees

Scent: stephanotis, musk, verbena, vanilla, incense, vervain, roses, sandalwood

Colors: pink, silver, violet, aqua, seafoam, light blue

  Offerings

Apples, pomegranates, lettuce, myrtle, myrrh, anemone, roses, poppies, pearls, shellfish, honey, incense, garlands of flowers, intimate acts, poetry, art, wine, honey cakes, fire, salt, jewelry, bread, olive oil

Crystals 

pearls, gold, purple amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz, rubellite, jade, sapphire, silver, copper, moonstone

How to Worship

Self love: self care, bath rituals, reading romantic literature, creating romantic art, poetry carrying or wearing rose quartz, make up, music, tea, sweets & candy, wearing silver jewelry

Loving others: random acts of kindness, supporting all love, telling someone you love them, planning something romantic, intimacy, giving silvery jewelry, giving flowers

Loving the world: feeding fish & birds, bee & butterfly feeder, planting any plants and flowers associated with her 

Magic: love spells & sigils, self love spells, sigils, rituals etc, fertility magic, beauty spells, glamouring and/or blessing your make up, shoes, clothing

Epithets

Ourania - Heavenly

Aphrodite Areia -  In Sparta, the Warlike

Anadyo’Mene - Goddess rising out of the sea

Antheia - the blooming, or friend of flowers

Despoena - ruling mistress [title shared w/ other goddesses]

Game’lii - presiding over marriage [shared w/ other goddesses]

Genetyllis - protectress of births

Morpho - fairly shaped

*There are many more epithets for Aphrodite, especially surnames given by her cult centres

Sources

Keep reading

the prairie witch vibes @ batsheva rtw spring 2o19

Crystals associated with each zodiac sign

♈️ Carnelian, Red Jasper, Bloodstone, Citrine, Garnet, Diamond

♉️ Rose Quartz, Emerald, Green Aventurine, Jade, Lapis Lazuli

♊️ Citrine, Agate, Tiger's Eye, Clear Quartz, Chrysocolla, Pearl

♋️ Moonstone, Rose Quartz, Carnelian, Selenite, Emerald, Ruby

♌️ Sunstone, Carnelian, Tiger's Eye, Pyrite, Citrine, Peridot

♍️ Amazonite, Green Aventurine, Moss Agate, Peridot, Sapphire

♎️ Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, Blue Lace Agate, Opal, Jade

♏️ Obsidian, Malachite, Garnet, Labradorite, Amethyst, Topaz

♐️ Turquoise, Sodalite, Amethyst, Blue Topaz, Labradorite

♑️ Garnet, Onyx, Smoky Quartz, Ruby, Black Tourmaline

♒️ Amethyst, Aquamarine, Labradorite, Fluorite, Angelite

♓️ Amethyst, Aquamarine, Moonstone, Labradorite, Fluorite