I am very confused as what type of magic should I practice. I just know I don't want to practice religion related magic... Can you say what you think would suite from looking at my blog? Sorry for bothering.
We are for writing advice only, sorry!
Hello! My story opens with my main character (lives in modern New York) attempting to converse with the spirit of a dead person. Her family has a long history of using magic, and so I wanted to ask if there are any plants, flowers or herbs or whatever, that have a particular association with being used in seances or other such rituals for conversing with spirits and the beyond. If you could direct me to any further resources or even help at all then I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!
Hello!
There sure are! There is, of course, sage, which is well-known as a cleansing herb at this point and is often used to banish malevolent spirits. Many people really like white sage, but it’s quickly becoming endangered, and other types of sage will work just as well. Kitchen sage is a favorite of mine, but just about any will work.
Sweet grass, as well as sweet fern, are both used to attract benevolent spirits. Sweet fern is also used the way sage is to clear out malevolent spirits, often with smoke cleansing (bonus of sweet fern: it smells very nice while fresh or dried, and unlike sage, sweet fern doesn’t smell like marijuana while burning(YMMV on sage smell, some people think it smells like marijuana and others don’t. It’s a weird thing where people familiar with both smells can still disagree.)
Lilac and mint are often used to get in contact with spirits, and there are many many herbs for raising awareness of spirits. including basil and mugwort.
Many spirits also like offerings! What your character offers will likely be dependent on the kind of spirits they’re trying to get in touch with, but coins are usually a good bet, and many spirits are known to be attracted to candles, and to the rituals themselves.
I hope this helps, happy writing!
~Mod T
Hello I have a character who's Irish and I thought it'd be good to incorporate some Gaelic beliefs and traditions into their craft. Do you have any suggestions for how to do so?
Hi magicmoon65!
Consider researching Celtic/Gaelic polytheism! If your character practices it, they may incorporate those deities into their craft.
You might also consider looking into fae magic! A lot of fae magic is rooted in Celtic and Gaelic folklore, and that could be a good tie in to their roots. It can also provide a potential source of conflict, as the fae are often tricky and can be malevolent at times.
If you’d like more information on either or both of these topics, let me know!
I hope this helps, happy writing!
~Mod T
I have a two part question, if that's okay. I like to ground my magic and mystical creatures in actual myths, legends, and folklore, because it feels more "real" to me. I was wondering if there was any precedent for a familiar being able to take on a human or humanoid form in any folklore. My Google Fu is weak, and has not come up with good results. Thanks in advance!
Hi alphabethens!
It’s very uncommon for familiar spirits to be human or humanoid, but it’s not unheard of! The most common humanoid familiar spirits depicted in art are usually imp-like creatures.
I hope this helps, happy writing!
~Mod T
Anonymous asked:
My character found out she was not exactly her mother's child at a young age and made herself a potion to forget that fact. Her spells are very beginner and even the mother, who is a very powerful and competent witch, wasn't sure it would last as long as it did, or even at all. What kind of roots or herbs do you think would be used to prolong effects of potions or spells?
There’s two potential ways you could go with this! You could have your characters use multiple ingredients for banishing and blocking the memory, or your could have them add ingredients for longevity. My suggestions list got long, so under a cut they go!
Anonymous asked:
Any good resources for things that hurt someone with magic or remove someone's magic? I want to know these things for fictional purposes and was hoping that I could allude to things that were thought to actually work in old folklore. I know that iron is often thought of as a magic suppressant, but I couldn't find much about other ways people believed they could stop someone from using magic. (and not just dark/evil magic, just magic in general, including good/white magic)
Hey anon!
First, I want to address a terminology thing. The idea that dark=bad and white=good comes from racist ideas, and is in general something to be avoided. Evil/malevolent and good/benevolent are much better terms to use.
That being said, iron and silver are big big ones in folklore! Witches in some European folklore share “can only be killed by a silver bullet” with werewolves, and iron/iron filings are very commonly said to stop witches from doing magic. Iron horseshoes also have this distinction.
Running fresh water is also an issue for witches in some folklore. Like vampires, it was believed in some areas that witches can’t cross running water, or that pure water will do them harm. Some also believed that a witch’s magic can’t cross running water.
Depending on how old you want, there are some really interesting American superstitions about witches as well! Knots of horsehair were said to ward of witches in some parts of Appalachia, and a New England superstition tells us witches can’t stand milk and are repulsed by it.
I hope this helps, happy writing!
~Mod T
Anonymous asked:
Hello! I'm writing a character who is a secular muslim-american girl, but can also perform magic. In my research of Islam, I'm reading that witchcraft is strictly forbidden. While I'm still researching on Islam and muslim culture, I'm afraid that the character concept itself may be problematic in a way a white author like me should avoid. Do you guys have any insight on this? Should I reevaluate this character? Thank you.
Hey anon!
This question seems to be less about witchcraft and more about how to respectfully write Muslim characters. That’s great, and I’m glad you’re doing your research, but it’s not a question I’m qualified to answer. I’d suggest checking out blogs about writing Muslim characters and reaching out to them for this question. @writingwithcolor is on break at the moment, but their Muslim tag may be of use to you.
Happy writing!
Mod T
Anonymous asked:
Is there much difference between a seer and a witch in terms of skill? My story has a seer trying to win a bet with a scientist and accidentally sets them loose in the house they are in. Is that something a seer can even do or should I switch her to something more "witchy"?
Hey anon!
I’m a little confused by your question, and I think you may have missed a word?What is being set loose in the house?
That being said, that’s very dependent on how you choose to define “seer.” Is that someone with divinatory abilities? Is it someone with an innate talent for spirit work? Is it someone who’s trained and honed their abilities? More detail would be super helpful in getting this question answered for you, as that’s something very much up to you, and the skills of any witchcraft, divination, or spirit work practitioner vary person to person, as with any other skill.
I hope this helps, happy writing!
~Mod T
Happy Halloween!
Hello everyone!
Happy Halloween (and day before NaNoWriMo starts)! I have a rare several hours of calm, so I’ll be working hard on emptying the inbox and filling the queue! If you have an urgent question for your NaNo project, feel free to include that in your ask, and I’ll do my best to prioritize those if I can.
Happy writing, and stay spooky!
~Mod T
Anonymous asked:
My best friend practices the craft and I’ve been looking to myself but I’ve been holding back. I have this fear that if one day I stop practicing the craft or if I do a spell wrong, then I’ll be cursed/bad stuff will start happening to me. Could that happen?
Hi there anon!
We are for writing advice only, and do not provide real world advice. There are plenty of witch blogs on tumblr who can answer this question for you, but we are for writing only.
Anonymous asked:
My story there's a witch that's a spell maker, so you now if there are specific pantheons of gods witches invoke or is it different for all, do you say something like "Diana's bow" or can you use anything?
That depends on the individual character’s religion! Many witches don’t invoke deities at all, but those that do can invoke any they like from their religion that may be willing to give Their aid in a given spell. They’ll likely use whatever epithets they use in their regular worship– a character writing a healing spelling invoking Apollo may address Him as Apollo Paean, for example– and the spell work may include taking time to give an offering to the deity being invoked. Deciding on a religion for your character will help you narrow down what deities you may be researching more into, and if you need additional help in finding sources I’d be happy to assist.
I hope this helps, happy writing!
Anonymous asked:
Heyyyy I have a character that needs to bring something back from its ashes and I was wondering if there was some sort of spell for that or something like that Cause my character is a sort of witch... And BTW you're awesome thx for having this blog and helping out writers xx
Literally or figuratively, anon? In real witchcraft, the figurative meaning of the phrase could definitely be used, but for the literal meaning, you’re going to need to dip into fantasy.
Happy writing!
Anonymous asked:
If you collected your "virgin blood" (including menstrual) for years and kept it in jars for a later date would it all still be virgin blood even after you start using your blood in rituals?
I would say no, blood of a character that’s been used in rituals is still blood that’s been used in rituals, regardless of the time the character using it initially collected it.
I hope this helps, happy writing!
Anonymous asked:
Okay so for a story I'm writing, there's an Irish girl (14) who's also a witch. She's been practicing her craft since she was young, but can I get some realistic expectations on how advanced her divination skills would be? (That's her main skill.)
That depends on a couple of factors, namely how long she’s been practicing, how concentrated or spread out her methods of divination are– does she just use one method, or does she know a dozen?– and how regularly she practices. Someone who’s been practicing the same method daily for eight years is going to be much more advanced than someone who’s been practicing sporadically for four years and has spread their practice out.
Sorry this answer is pretty general, but I hope it helps! Happy writing!
~Mod T
