Witches!

Could you please RB this if you’re:

-Celtic Recon  -Catholic/Christian witch -Satanist/Luciferium (sp?) -Lesbian/bi/sapphic  -LGBTA+ -Druid -Spirit worker -Divination/tarot -Green/nature witch

I wanna follow <3

Celtic Gods and Goddess

The Celtic world included Ireland, Britain, and a large section of the mainland

Aine: Goddess of love and fertility; encouraged human love; has command over crops and animals; daughter of Eogabail  

Amaethon: God of agriculture 

Anu or Danu/Dana: Mother goddess 

Aonghus: God of love; son of Dagda and Boann

Badb: Irish goddess of battle; could influence the outcome of conflict by inspiring fear or bravery in warriors

Balor: The one-eyed god of death, everyone he looked upon was destroyed

Belenus or Bel: Sun god; appears throughout the Celtic world in different forms; Beltaine celebrates him 

Boann: Water goddess; mother of Aonghus

Brigantia: Chief goddess of Brigantes tribe; associated with water, war and healing

Brigid/Brigit: Goddess of healing and fertility; said to help women during labor; possibly same goddess as Brigantia 

Camulos: God of war mostly worshiped in Belgium areas; said to wield an invincible sword

Ceridwen: Goddess of fertility

Cernunnos: God of wild animals, forest, and plenty; possibly also the god of death; known as the horned one

Cliodhna: Goddess of beauty; her three birds could sing the sick to sleep and heal them 

Dagda: The great god; could restore the dead to life

Dian Cecht: God of healing 

Don: Welsh version of Dana

Donn: God of the dead

Dylan: Sea god

Epona: Horse goddess

The Formorii: Sea gods; violent and misshapen

Goibhniu: Smith god 

Lir: God of sea, healing  and magic 

Lugh: Sun god (Ireland)

Lugus:  Sun god (France and Britain) 

Mac Cecht: God of eloquence

Macha: One of the war goddess

Manannan Mac Lir: Sea god; could stir up or soothe the sea

Manawydan: Welsh sea god, extremely similar to Manannan

Morrigan/Morrigu: Goddess of death on the battlefield 

Nechtan: Water god 

Nemain: Goddess of war

Nemglan: Bird god

Nodens: God of healing; owned magic healing hounds

Ogma: God of eloquence; creating of Ogham, the oldest writing system in Ireland

Taranis: Name means thunderer; Romans equated him to Jupiter; symbol was the wheel

Teutates or Toutatis: Romans equated him to Mars

**Not all inclusive 

All information gathered from “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Mythology by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm 

Celtic Gods && Goddesses

This is going to be a lists of the main path I follow, which is Celtic Wicca. One of these days, when my deity has chosen me, I will show that list. 

Brighid, Hearth Goddess of Ireland

A daughter of the Dagda, Brighid is one of the classic triple goddesses of the Celtic pantheon. Many Pagans honor her today as a goddess of the hearth and home, and of divination and prophecy.

Cailleach, Ruler of Winter

Cailleach is known in parts of the Celtic world as the hag, the bringer of storms, the Dark Mother of the winter months. However, she features prominently in mythology and is also a creator goddess.

Cernunnos, Wild God of the Forest

Cernunnos is the horned god found in many traditions of modern Paganism and Wicca. He is an archetype found predominantly in Celtic regions, and symbolizes fertility and masculine energy.

Cerridwen, Keeper of the Cauldron

Cerridwen is known in Welsh mythology as the keeper of the Cauldron of the Underworld in which knowledge and inspiration are brewed. She is considered a goddess of prophetic powers, and because her symbol is the Cauldron, she is an honored goddess in many Wiccan and Pagan traditions.

The Dagda, Father God of Ireland

The Dagda was a father god of the Celtic pantheon, and plays an important role in the stories of the Irish invasions. Learn about the Dagda, and how he ended up making himself lose his own power.

Herne, God of the Wild Hunt

In British lore, Herne the Hunter is a god of vegetation, vine, and the wild hunt. Similar in many aspects to Cernunnos, Herne is celebrated in the autumn months, when the deer go into rut. He is seen as a god of the common folk, and is typically recognized only around the Windsor Forest area of Berkshire, England.

Lugh, Master of Skills

Lugh is the Celtic god honored for his skills and gifts as a craftsman. He is the god of blacksmiths, metal-workers and artisans. In his aspect as a harvest god, he is honored on August 1, on the festival known as Lughnasadh or Lammas.

The Morrighan, Goddess of War and Sovereignty

The Morrighan is known as a Celtic war goddess, but there’s a lot more to her than that. Learn about this ancient patron of Celtic warriors, and why some Pagans still pay her tribute today.

Rhiannon, Horse Goddess of Wales

In the Welsh mythological cycle, the Mabinogion, Rhiannon is known as a goddess of the horse. However, she also plays a crucial role in the kingship of Wales.

Taliesin, Chief of the Bards

Although Taliesin is a documented historical figure in Welsh history, he has managed to become elevated to the status of a minor god. Learn why this patron of bards and poets is so important in Welsh myth cycles.

Sheela-na-Gig

Although not an official goddess in Celtic myth and legend, this mysterious carving is found in many forms all over the United Kingdom and Ireland, and some scholars suspect a connection to fertility rituals.

Tumblr is a very influential place. I wouldn't doubt the idea that many people can get lured into entering a new pagan current through this site, specially young ones. But there's a lot of things you have to know before deciding that you are a pagan because you've been following the tag on tumblr for weeks.

First of all, and I'm speaking in regards of Hellenic Polytheism because I am preparing to be a hellenist myself, there's a lot of misunderstanding of what this religion really is about. Tumblr is a place full of mostly humour, small lists on what you can offer, and it's FULL of UPG. I think anyone with a little bit of experience can conclude it's, of course, no source of knowledge. But, by the nuance of the questions I usually receive and the ones I've read in other people's blogs; it doesn't seem like you're taking this religion seriously to the core.

Ask yourself why.

Why do you want to worship? Because you've always had a fascination for ancient mythology, classic literature and history? Because you're into the occult and magick? Because the “aesthetics” seem nice? Because everyone is suddenly talking about it? Because you've suffered and you want to find yourself? Or just because?

All of this are amazing reasons. In fact, there's no “incorrect” reason to start worshipping. The Gods call to us sometimes in very funny ways, sometimes in very dark and deep voices. But you need to understand your reasons personally, because they probably define the approach you're giving to this path. Is it just a side thing? Are you just trying something new? Is it occasional? Is it something you truly, desperately want to drown yourself in? Do you really want to be devoured by a God? Do daily rites? Fill your soul? The latter you won't probably find on Tumblr. The reason is, this path is incredibly intimate. Every religious path is, of course, but because most of this religions are not widesread, we have to often follow the Gods alone; there's no “moral” or “social” commitment to this anymore as it was in the ancient world, where religion was more of a political thing than anything else. And I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea of what this is about; because, trust me, it ain't easy. It ain't always beautiful. It's often sacrificial, and terrifying, and obligatory. But it's really gratifying in the end.

What you can expect to find on Tumblr:

What I recommend more than anything is to take this path seriously. If it's really meant for you, however, you will get bored of Tumblr pretty quickly and will want to expand your horizons beyond the internet. There's not a lot of information available to us, not gonna lie. This path is obsolete. People make fun of us. Your favourite authors call our practice absurd. The myths are everywhere, not even well written or understood. Everyone seems to have an “opinion” about our Gods. Artists and companies use Them to their own benefit. They turn Them into villains or childish superheroes. Normative religions ridiculize us. Our Gods are demons, nonexistent, archetypes, or just plainly Marvel or Disney one-dimensional characters. They're, for most of the world, buried deep down within the remains of Their civilizations, dead for hundreds of centuries. Believe me when I say it is a very desolated path to choose. You will not have people who will listen to you, who will share your ideas or even just tolerate them, or guide you in your new discoveries. It is a silent path, for most. Do you really want this?

And on top of all —Gods are terrifying. If you're used to the idea of the divine being inherently good, responsive and obedient, angelic and heavenly; prepare to be devastatingly heartbroken. Gods are natural, cosmic, enormous, dark and empty, full of light and galaxies colliding; they're foreign to humanity, strange, beautiful. Frighteningly beautiful.

First of all, Gods are beyond human understanding. Let me illustrate this further: do you know what an Egregor is? It is a “thoughtform”. An “authonomous psychic entity made up of and influencing the thoughts of a group of people” (quoted from Wikipedia) in short; an archetype, a type of entity that is born out of the human mind. You will find people who think of the Gods as Egregors; but guess what? They're not, and if you choose to work with One, They will probably remind you of this a lot. Gods are not bound to human expectations. They are amoral beings. You can't judge a God's behaviour by good or bad. The idea of good or bad is in itself reductionist. The Universe, even the human mind itself, is way ahead the good and the bad.

What I mean by this is; no, the myths are not the Gods. Zeus is not a “bad husband” or “bad father” because the myths say so. Apollo is not “petty and vain”, Athena is not “envious and cruel”, Poseidon is not “an asshole” and Demeter is not “an obsessive mother”. The truth is, we don't know the Gods. We shall not condemn Them. Concluding that Gods are this way, or they were worshipped this way by the ancients, because you read a story on a book illustrated with romantic art, or even worse, because you watched it on YouTube, or even worse! because you read a book by a children author —it's laughable, stupid.

My advice? Don't believe this, don't judge any God, and don't limit yourself into experiencing a God because you have an “opinion” about Their behavior on a story retold by millions and millions and millions of people over centuries, mistranslated, appropriated and edited by another million.

But also don't expect anything from Them. If They can help They gladly will; and I'm not speaking of All. There's Gods that won't. They have their reasons. They're enormous Beings of autonomus identity. They have the right to not respond to you. That doesn't mean They're being rude. Perhaps it's not the time, or the place, or the Deity for you. Don't expect to have dreams They send you, or feel things, or get direct responses. They probably wont; but, again, that's on the Gods part. An “enthousiasmos”, an “epiphany” or revelation, are exceptional events. They don't happen often in a person's lifetime. Don't expect the Gods to appear or speak to you; don't expect Them to make huge changes in your life or choose you somehow. Don't put this huge standards on Them or yourself. Not because They can't happen (they can) but just because there's a possibility they won't, and I don't want you to conclude depressive things or get scared when They don't act the way you expected Them to.

But! Expect to have your moments. Expect the sudden rush of love inside your veins when They're somehow around, when you can sense their action. Expect the hypnotic type of inspiration that comes when reading about Them, finding new information, doing divination to get closer to Them. Expect the insatiable, unbearable, sensuality when thinking of Them. Expect dark emotions taking over your body and leaving you defenseless only to purify you after; expect to face your demons and never be alone in the process. Expect doubts, yes, but also stirring moments of absolute certainty. Expect rejection, and also the warmest welcoming when you feel like you have no place to call home on earth. And I ask you one more time; do you really want to be devoured by a God?

What I recommend:

That's it, that's all I have to say. I really hope it makes sense.

You just have to Look

The gods haven’t left us, but some say they are forgotten

Zeus roars his battle cry as lightning strikes skyscrapers and thunder rolls over corn fields and grassy plains.

Hera sings a lullaby to the crying newborn babies every night and hold the hand of those born early, those fighting to survive.

Artemis screams her protest in the voices of every woman, young and old, as they raise their fists for equality.

Demeter whistles through the streets of cities, rustling the leaves of scarce trees, reminding the concrete jungle of the jungles around them.

Poseidon bellows through the foghorns of steam ships, cruise liners and cargo ships as they dock into the harbour.

Hephaestus hammers his forge’s red fires with the punch of a time-clock and in the muscles strains of the working man.

Apollo blasts his voice through every headphone, earbud and speaker turned way too loud.

Ares’ battle cry echoes through a stadium as the crowd cheers after a national anthem is played.

Aphrodite whispers in the giggles and “I love you"s said between lovers intimating.

Hermes laughs in the roar of every engine and the gurgle of gasoline through the pump.

Dionysus cheers in the spirit of every young person celebrating themselves and making their lives enjoyable.

Athena hums in the silence of a late night library visit, in the turn of a page and the scratch of a pen.

Hestia smiles in every host saying “come in”, in every oven’s beeping, and the sigh of relaxation in ones home.

Hades beams in every dark humoured joke, in every Halloween night, and in every morning after.

They say the gods are gone, forgotten and a world away. But they are here, if you look for them.

👏Not every Witch is Wiccan!👏👏

👏Not every Witch is Pagan!👏👏

👏Not every Witch believes in Deities!👏👏

👏Not every Witch is Religious!👏👏

👏Not every Pagan is Wiccan!👏👏

👏🏽Not every Witch is white!👏🏾👏🏿

👏Not every Witch identifies as female!👏👏

👏Not every Witch is Straight!👏❤🧡💛💚💙💜👏

👏Every Witches craft will be different to another! 👏👏

👏We are all different but must respect each other!👏👏

What are you grateful for today? 🌞

🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨

‘October is a month filled with happiness, love, laughter and blessings’

✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂✨🍂

Building a Magical Home

One of my favorite quotes about the magic of homemaking comes from Cory Hutcheson, host of the New World Witchery podcast. He says, “Home is a transformational act. It is the thing you do to turn a space into a space… that is full of ritual and significance and meaning. So there is sort of this ongoing relationship you have with the space that makes it a home.”

The act of creating a home, of making a space your own, is inherently magical. But if you want to make your space feel a little more witchy, here are some ideas to get you started.

Charms and Talismans

Making your own magical objects can be a powerful way to bring magic into your space. The best thing about making your own charms is that you can make them look however you want, so it’s easy to disguise them as ordinary household objects. You can make a charm for any intention by combining objects based on their magical correspondences.

I’ve talked about protective charms in previous posts, so I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on it here. The simplest protective charm is keeping a large piece of iron under your bed to keep away nightmares, evil spirits, and negative energy. You could also make your own protection charm, like a witch bottle.

You can create a “happy home” charm to bring peace, harmony, and happiness into your home. This charm could include herbs like basil, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, and/or bay leaves, as well as other items that you associate with peace and good fortune, like lucky coins, crystals, or black cat fur. Write your desires for a harmonious and happy home on a piece of paper, fold it up, and add it to the charm. You could store these items in a green bag, bury them in your backyard (in this case, make sure you’re only using biodegradable plant matter — leave out the coins and crystals), or place it inside a household object like a lamp or an end table.

If you suffer from insomnia or other sleep issues, try making a dream charm to help you sleep well and have sweet dreams. To make a simple dream charm, fill a blue or purple bag with lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and any other objects that you associate with peace, restfulness, and sleep. If you want to have lucid dreams or receive psychic messages in your dreams, include a bit of mugwort. Place the charm in your pillow or under your mattress. (I personally swear by this one, as it’s helped a lot with my insomnia.)

Charms are great for homemaking magic because you’re actually creating a magical object, which can then become a permanent fixture of the space.

Magical Decor

You can use magical items to decorate your home to bring certain qualities into that space.

Hanging or displaying a broom is said to bring good fortune, protection from evil, and good hospitality. Cauldrons are used to represent the Goddess, rebirth, and raw potential. Horseshoes hung above door frames bring safety and luck to all who cross under them, and keep unwanted guests away. If you can get them legally and ethically, animal bones, teeth, claws, and feathers can represent the spirit and energy of that animal. You can also put up images of spiritual and occult symbols — I have an image of the Sun tarot card hanging in my bedroom to promote positivity and growth.

If you need to be a little more subtle with your witchy decorations, working with the magic of color is a great way to do that. Gathering a lot of items of a single color in one room changes the energy of that room. Here’s a quick guide to give you some ideas:

Decorating your home with colors that are meaningful to you can create a powerful magical space. You may also have your own color associations (for example, yellow is a very “happy” color for me), so feel free to incorporate those into your decor as well!

Growing Magical Houseplants

Most witches feel a very deep connection to nature and draw power from the natural world, but we can’t all live in a cottage in the heart of the forest. Even if you live in a tiny apartment in the city, you can still bring nature into your space by keeping houseplants. Many popular houseplants have magical uses, and many popular magic herbs can be grown inside. Here are a few to get you started.

If you have a yard space that you can turn into an outdoor garden, your magical plant options are limited only by your local ecosystem. Some outdoor plants that have magical uses include roses, sunflowers, rue, lemon balm, and strawberries.

Creating an Altar

Altars are focal points of magical and spiritual energy. Many people, both witches and non-witches, find that having a designated space for their spiritual practice creates a deeper sense of sacredness and purpose.

An altar can serve lots of different purposes. Many witches use their altar as a magical work space to prepare spells, meditate, and do divination. You may choose to dedicate your altar to a deity, your ancestors, or some other spirit(s) you work with. You can also build altars for specific intentions, such as a money altar or a love altar — performing rituals at this altar everyday is a powerful method for manifestation. You altar may be some or all of these things, or it may just be a place to sit and connect with the spiritual.

You can set up an altar on any flat surface, like a shelf or table, or inside a container like a jewelry box. Your setup can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. An altar can be huge and complex, with statues and candles and flowers, or it can be as simple as a tealight and an incense burner. It’s all about what appeals to you.

Resources:

some gay witches! (the top is my first one, the bottom is when i decided amity should be here too)

done for the gaytober day 12 prompt: sorty and (incorrectly drawn) scarfy, from avpm! (click for quality!)

You are the most important person in your life