2023 Witch's Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2023 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!

WOTY Holidays and Solstices

Full Moons

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2023, as in 2022, that month will be September.

New Moons

Special Events

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

SOURCES:

Moon Info - Full Moon 2023

Calendar-12.com - Moon Phases 2023

Full Moonology - Full Moon Calendar 2023

Moon Calendar - Full Moons and New Moons in 2023

Yearly Horoscope - Mercury Retrograde 2023 Dates and Times

Your Zodiac Sign - 2023 Astrology Calendar

The Pagan Grimoire - The Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar

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EDIT: Updated Jan 6, 2023 to correct full moon signs and include additional celestial events. Enjoy!

Ok but can we talk about non-native and invasive species in a nuanced way?

There’s more to this topic than ‘native = good’ and ‘non-native = invasive and therefore bad’. I also see horrible analogies with human immigration, which…no. Just no. 

Let’s sit back and learn about species and how they work inside and outside their native ranges! Presented by: someone who studied ecology.

Broadly speaking, when talking about species in an ecosystem, we can divide them into four categories: native non-invasive, non-native, non-native invasive, and native invasive.

Because ‘native’ and ‘invasive’ are two different things. 

Native and non-native refers to the natural range of a species: where it is found without human intervention. Is it there on its own, or did it arrive in a place because of human activity?

Non-invasive and invasive refers to how it interacts with its ecosystem. A non-invasive species slots in nicely. It has its niche, it is able to survive and thrive, and its presence does not threaten the ecosystem as a whole. An invasive species, on the other hand, survives, thrives, and threatens the balance of an ecosystem. 

Let’s have some examples! (mostly featuring North America, because that’s the region I’m most familiar with)

Native Non-invasive

Native bees! Bee species (may be social or solitary) that pollinate plants.

And stopping here bc I think we get the point.

Non-native

Common Dandelion: Introduced from Europe. Considered an agricultural weed, but does no harm to the North American ecosystem. Used as a food source by many insects and animals. Is prolific, but does not force other species out.

European Honeybee: Introduced from Eurasia. Massively important insect for agricultural pollination. Can compete with native pollinators but does not usually out compete them.

Non-native Invasive

Emerald Ash Borer: Beetle introduced from Asia. In places where it is non-native, it is incredibly destructive to ash trees (in its native range, predators and resistant trees keep it in check). It threatens North America’s entire ash population.

Hydrilla: An Old World aquatic plant introduced to North America. Aggressively displaces native plant species, and can interfere with fish spawning areas and bird feeding areas. 

Native Invasive

White Tailed Deer: Local extinction of the deer’s predators caused a massive population boom. Overgrazing by large deer populations has significantly changed the landscape, preventing forests from maturing and altering the species composition of an area. Regulated hunting keeps deer populations managed.

Sea Urchins: The fur trade nearly wiped out the sea otters that eat them. Without sea otters to keep urchin populations in check, sea urchins overgrazed on kelp forests, leading to the destruction and loss of kelp and habitat. Sea otter conservation has helped control urchin populations, and keeps the kelp forest habitat healthy.

—

There are a few common threads here:

The first is that human activities wind up causing most ecosystem damage. We introduce species. We disrupt food chains. We try to force human moral values onto ecosystems and species. And when we make a mistake, it’s up to us to mitigate or reverse the damage.

The second is that human moral values really cannot be applied to ecosystems. There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ species. Every species has its place. Applying emotional and moral rhetoric to ecology works against our understanding of how our ecosystems work. 

Third: the topic of invasive and non-native species is more complex than most of the dialogue surrounding it. Let’s elevate our discussions.

Fourth: If you ever compare immigrants or minorities to invasive species, I will end you.

There are more nuances to this topic than I presented as well! This is not meant to be a deep dive, but a primer.

There’s also two different definitions of “invasive” - the ecological one is “a species that quickly outcompetes native species in their own habitat”, but the horticultural one is “a species that propagates and spreads [has invasive behavior]” - so plants like bindweed and mint can behave invasively even in their natural range.

Interestingly, when people who don’t know fuck about bees on Tumblr exhort you to plant native flowers for bees, it’s a great idea, but it’s perfectly fine to plant non-native flowers as well, because they provide food and help to cover the seasonal flowering gaps. in the UK, the Royal Horticultural Society recommends buddleja - or butterfly bush - a non-native species from Asia that behaves VERY invasively on waste ground, but which can be reasonably controlled in a garden, and serves as a very important food source for pollinators. It is highly aromatic and provides a lot of food, especially when other aromatic flowers have gone over, in July/August. It would be a terrible idea to seedbomb buddleja or dig up lawns to grow buddleja or even to let them run uncontrolled in public lands. Because it’s not native to the UK, in the UK it isn’t really a home or food source for things like caterpillars - so it needs to be in balance with plants that will feed caterpillars, etc. But it’s perfectly fine if you have a buddleja in your garden already, or if you think you’d like to have one, and don’t mind pruning a bush that grows a million feet per year. Just because it’s a non-native that behaves invasively, and shouldn’t be allowed to run riot, doesn’t mean that moral value can be ascribed to it. It’s a plant!

Good discussion, and I’d like to add a few things:

Honestly, it’s a bit weird to me the pressure put on home gardeners in certain corners to grow only native plants- shouldn’t we be putting pressure on say, the highway system to take care of their vast swaths of scotch broom and Himalayan blackberries? Couldn’t there be a movement to put pressure on government campuses, apartment complexes, churches, college campuses and other owners of big chunks of land to include at least keystone native species?

I'm begging y'all to use Uno Reverse Cards in your reflection/return-to-sender spells

Pagan Wedding Flowers (and other plants) Cheat Sheet

Flowers have been associated with weddings for almost as long as humans have been getting married. In fact, the use of flowers in ritual may actually be older than humans! Neanderthal graves in Iraq suggest that Neanderthals buried their dead with flowers. There are mentions of flowers in our earliest recorded accounts of weddings, such as in Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Historically, couples would have used whatever flowers were available to them. While some cultures had flowers they preferred for weddings because of their symbolism, couples would have been limited by what grew in their area and by what was in bloom at the time of their ceremony. To be truly as historically accurate as possible, consider using flowers you grew or foraged yourself. Bonus points for native blooms!

For those who aren't into growing or gathering your own wedding flowers, modern florists and greenhouses allow us to choose from a wide range of flowers, many of which aren't native to our homes. This makes it much easier to choose flowers based on their symbolism, history, or cultural meaning.

Historic Wedding Flowers + Plants

Roses have been the flower of choice for Western weddings pretty much forever, and with good reason. The rose is associated with several ancient goddesses of sex, fertility, and/or romance, such as Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus. (Later, medieval Christians would also associate this flower with the Virgin Mary.) Including the goddess's flowers in a wedding may have been a way of invoking her blessing on the union. Sappho called rose "Queen of the Flowers."

Roses are held in a high regard in pretty much every culture with access to them. They're strongly associated not only with love, but also with beauty, wholeness, blessings, and even spirituality.

Rose was included in wedding celebrations in Ancient Hellos (Greece) and Rome. It is associated with the planet Venus and the water element.

Wheat was also a popular inclusion in weddings in ancient Greece and Rome. Hellenic brides would carry sheaths of wheat or another grain to invoke fertility and good fortune. Wheat was strongly associated with agrarian goddesses like Demeter, Persephone, Ceres, and Proserpina. Carrying wheat may also have been a way of expressing a wish for the marriage to produce many children. Pliny the Elder explicitly says in his Natural History that wheat was included in weddings to honor Ceres.

In modern occult systems, wheat is associated with fertility, the conception of children, and wealth. It is associated with the planet Venus and the element of earth.

Olive branches also featured in Hellenic weddings. Olive was an important crop in the ancient Mediterranean, and olive branches were a symbol of peace and friendship. Olive was also used in the victors' crowns in the Olympic Games. In Athens, the olive tree was a symbol of Athena. It was also carried by worshipers of Apollo when they visited the Oracle at Delphi. Olive was also important to the Romans, who associated it with Mars in his aspect as a protector of peace.

In modern magic traditions, olive is associated with beauty, healing, stamina, wealth, fertility, protection and of course, peace. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Orange blossoms were included in Hellenic weddings as a sign of happiness. These strongly scented white flowers also sometimes appeared in Roman weddings. Thousands of years later, Queen Victoria wore a crown of orange blossoms at her wedding, but for her they were a symbol of chastity.

In modern systems, orange is associated with joy, partnership, sweetness, and good luck. It is associated with the sun and the fire element.

Hawthorn appeared in weddings in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder said that Roman bridal processions included a hawthorn torch dedicated to the goddess Ceres. In Rome, hawthorn was more generally associated with love and good luck.

In Celtic cultures, especially Ireland, hawthorn was believed to be a fairy tree. For this reason, cutting a hawthorn tree or bringing hawthorn branches inside was considered bad luck.

The blooming of hawthorn trees was used to determine the date of Bealtaine, and hawthorn boughs were often decorated with flowers, ribbons, and egg shells to make a May bush, which was placed by the front door for good luck. In Britain, hawthorn wood was used to carve maypoles. Hawthorn flowers may be especially appropriate for a May wedding or handfasting.

In modern occultism, hawthorn is associated with protection, healing (especially healing the heart), romantic love, fertility, granting wishes, and happiness. It is still strongly associated with weddings and marriage. It is associated with the planet Mars and the fire element.

Lotus may have featured in ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) weddings. The lotus was an important symbol in Kemetic religion, and was associated with the sun, rebirth, and the creation of the world. Lotus flowers featured in festivals to honor Hapi, the androgynous god of the Nile. The lotus is used in art to represent Upper Egypt. An Egyptian poem from 1100 BCE connects the lotus to marriage.

Lotus flowers were also popular in ancient Chinese weddings, and they're still used by some Chinese couples today. In Chinese culture, lotus represents purity, honor, and long life.

In modern traditions, lotus is associated with protection, spirituality, and blessings. It is associated with the moon and the water element.

Yellow flowers were used in pre-Christian Ireland for blessings and protection. The exact flower used for these rituals is not specified, so it seems like the color was what mattered. Modern pagans looking to carry on this tradition have lots of yellow flowers to choose from. Some popular choices include yellow roses (see above), yellow amaryllis (associated with creativity, playfulness, and joy), chrysanthemum (associated with long life, optimism, and protection), marigold (associated with happiness, rebirth, and vitality), and/or daffodils (associated with love, fertility, and luck).

Modern Wedding Flowers

We've gone over some of the flowers that were popular in historic pagan weddings, but it's also easy to pagan-ify the flowers that are most popular in modern weddings. Here's a quick rundown of some popular wedding blooms and their neopagan and occult symbolism:

Resources:

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Pronouns that you only use around other trans people. The good pronouns, kept in the cabinet with the good plates, just for special occasions with people you like.

General Advice for Beginner Witches

A brief masterpost of some of my advice posts for beginner witches and the episodes of my podcast dealing with the same. (There is UPG here, particularly where marked, as I base a good deal of my advice on my own experience and observations of other witches.)

Hex Positive Podcast Episodes

General Tips & Advice

Additional Tips For Developing Your Practice

If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump released an anti-transgender tirade of a speech on his social media website Truth Social, outlining a genocidal plan against all transgender existence in the United States. Everyone on the right from mainstream Republicans to hardcore neo-Nazis are celebrating the video while Democrats and legacy news media outlets have so far largely ignored it. “So this is what we are up against,” tweeted legislative researcher and pro-transgender activist Erin Reed. She continues, “a national transgender ban in 2024. This is what they are planning. DeSantis is practicing this through executive actions in Florida. Trump is openly saying he will do the same.” This is unambiguously genocidal territory. Holocaust museums have warned that this rising anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric mirrors the hate that led up to the rise of Nazi Germany.

Here are the proposals outlined in Trump’s genocidal three and a half minute rant:

growing up as a cis girl the patriarchy told me “you’re a girl because of the way you were born, there is nothing you can do about this, you have no say in your gender” and i hated being a girl because it wasn’t my choice it was a prison and the trans community told me “you’re a girl because you say so, your view of yourself is the most important thing, if you change your mind that would be ok” and it made me proud to be a girl and feel empowered in my gender and i wasn’t trapped anymore and then terfs come along and tell me “you’re a girl because of the way you were born, there is nothing you can do about this, you have no say in your gender (but like in a woke way)” and they somehow expect me to be on their side?

if you respond with some terf shit im blocking you lmao

I’m so happy someone wrote this because I feel the same was as a cis girl. I felt pressured to be feminine and went full nlog because I felt too ugly and fat to be “feminine” and I was in an academic setting where it’s a nono. Then the trans community was so proud of their femininity it made me feel gratitude for being born a woman. Trans youtubers empowered me to buy my first skirts and dresses and I no longer felt “stupid” for doing it. I took another colleague that felt “stupid” for being feminine dress-shopping once and we’ve been friends ever since and she now dresses up all the time and tries to feel cute and feminine and I’m so happy to see her like that. The trans community destigmatized being feminine for cis women more than any girlboss feminism I’ve seen and we owe it to trans women.

A trans woman was the one to make me realize I was a trans man. I’d always thought all girls hated being girls, that being born female was a terrible curse we all just had to endure. And then I met a trans women who was so, so fucking excited to be able to wear skirts and cute tops and makeup at last, after years of fighting for the right to get on HRT. I saw the pure joy she felt as she did a little twirl in a skirt and I realised being female isn’t bad. It’s not bad at all. I’m just not female. And I can experience that joy, too. And then I got my HRT and my voice dropped and I got hairy and I learned what it was to be happy with your gender. It took seeing a joyful trans woman twirling in a skirt for that to happen for me.

Thank you trans women.

so stupid when i get some eccentric item of clothing and ppl are like "ok but where are you gonna wear it?" like. the grocery store? you think i won't wear the demonia riots to the dmv? "they're club shoes" that's only exclusive if you're a pussy

"where would you wear 6inch platforms?" fucking Out id wear them Out what do you mean where

When i was 20 i had 6 inch Swears & i wore them literally EVERYWHERE. i wore a violet satin ballgown to class for like an entire 30% of my freshman year. just wear shit wherever, death is inevitable and social restrictions are fake

someone posted this on twitter this morning

correct 7/11 etiquette

Looks like you accidentally ordered the gromit mug mug. Rookie mistake.

I don’t know when or how Fae became a catch-all term for ‘any non-physical creature that has ties to nature’ rather than referring to a specific group of Celtic beings, but I’m gonna find the people who did this and feed them to the waterhorses.

Especially when it comes to Roman spirits, considering the absolutely awful history between the Romans and the Celts. 99% of the Fae I know are more than ready to throw down with any being associated with the Romans, and consider humans trying to lump non-Celtic spirits in with them as a High Insult.

To my fellow witches with severe anxiety and paranoia

When you started your journey, did you find yourself panicking and jumping and running from the new entities you started sensing? from the shadows you saw in the corner of your eye? Dont. If there is anything there and your mind is not playing tricks on you.. You are a witch. you do not cower in the presence of other entities in your house and you give them no reason to cower back They do not control you just as you do not control them. It is /your/ house, either acknowledge their presence with equal footing and respect or walk through with the confidence of an old witch who knows their place, nothing can hurt you in your own house if you dont give them a reason to. never fear the entities you live with, do not believe that they will harm you your will and protection is strong, dont doubt it. [Disclaimer, i am still learning, i dont know everything. this is just how i cope with my personal anxieties around spirits ^^']

Astral Travel

This is the method I use for astral travelling, which was taught to me by a friend. Please keep in mind that this is only one of many methods, so if it doesn’t work for you, there are other methods to try! And, also keep in mind that it takes practice. I first tried astral travel as a fifteen-year-old, and after months worth of attempts I got frustrated and gave up and didn’t try again for like 10 years. But when I did try again, and had more patience, I found that I could finally do it! So be patient with yourself, try different techniques, and take breaks if need be.

To astral travel:

Wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing and find a quiet and peaceful place to lay down. Begin by regulating your breathing. A good rule of thumb is to count to 5 on the inhale and again to exhale until it feels natural. Next, relax each muscle in your body one by one, starting at your feet and working your way up to the top of your head and then back down. Continue to breathe evenly. Let yourself begin to fall asleep, but wake yourself up when you’re still in the state between waking and sleeping. Do this 4 or 5 times. Repeat the process as needed.

You should begin to feel your energy body vibrating, usually experienced as a tingling sensation on the physical body or parts of it. At this point, you’re ready to step out of your body. You can project yourself into the room or travel within this realm by envisioning the place you wish to go. Make sure to have a place in mind, or you’ll end up somewhere random and possibly dangerous. You can picture a place you’ve been, a place you’ve seen, or an archetypal location, such as a meadow, log cabin, or mountain side. Alternatively, you can travel to another realm within this plane.

Whenever you travel, you need to have a tether to get back. You can envision a literal tether, cord, rope, or thread. Or use an anchoring object, such as a crystal. It is also highly recommended to keep some sort of protection on your physical body, and a good idea to have some for your energy body as well. This can be a staff or wand, athame, a sachet of herbs, a crystal, or other protective object. Guides, deities, and servitors can help to protect you as well, physically and energetically. To bring you protection with you into the astral, make sure it is in contact with your physical body. Envision it in your hand (or wherever you keep it); see it, feel it, know its presence.

You can also travel to another plane, but you’ll need to be already familiar with it or have a guide, otherwise you risk getting lost and encountering dangerous beings and situations if you just wonder about.

To travel to a past life, you’ll need to first travel to the Records Hall (in the Akashic records). Start outside in the forest surrounding it, walk up the stairs, and through the heavy, wooden front doors. A record-keeper will meet you inside, a being which may or may not be humanoid. Ask them for your book; remember to say please and thank you. Once the book is in front of you, you may ask for a specific past life, or simply flip to a random page. Once your page is chosen, they will leave. (You will not usually be permitted to see anyone else’s book; it’s best not to ask. NEVER attempt to steal anything here.)

Next, step into the past life memory through any door except the front door (because this will bring you back instead). Remember the path you take for an easier way back out. Once there, you will see the memory play out like a movie. You can watch as a third party, or you can go into your past self and experience it firsthand. You cannot change anything here though, as it’s only a memory. Know that not all memories are pleasant. After the memory has finished, follow the path back to the door into the Records Hall and enter. Go through the building and back out the front door to return home. If you don’t remember your path or can’t find it, use your tether or anchor to call yourself back.

If you do get lost and don’t have a tether or way back, you may end up falling ill, feeling drained, or bring back an astral attachment. The same if you go without protection. Be sure to shield yourself when traveling, and if you do bring something back, cleanse yourself and banish it. Astral travel takes a good deal of energy, even for those well-versed in it. It is advised to have a light snack prepared (preferably with a bit of carbs) and water available.

𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓵

Forgiveness can be difficult for some, so here's a spell to give the caster a bit of a push toward that goal. Just a reminder, you cannot force yourself to forgive someone without the determination of choosing to do so--there is also the question of whether someone deserves your forgiveness, and that is dependent on the types of boundaries you hold. However, if the person who hurt you is someone you value, or perhaps you need to forgive them to move forward in peace, then this spell will help.

𝑀𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑜𝒹

Depending on your intentions, this spell can be performed best under a specific moon. For example, if you are casting this spell to move forward from a wrongdoing someone has inflicted upon you, then perform this spell during the last quarter moon. Basically, it is under your discretion which moon to perform under.

To prepare the spell, write down the actions that harmed you on a piece of paper. (I personally consecrate the paper using moon water before writing into it, but that's up to you.) These can be a list of things they've done or perhaps one thing that you can't let go of.

Then prepare a sigil on an inflammable surface. This is a necessary step because a candle will be placed in the middle of the sigil. I provided a sigil in the image below, but you can create one if you wish.

Before casting the spell, make sure to cleanse your space and items to prevent other energies from tainting the ritual.

𝐼𝓃𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃

With this flame as my witness,

I declare the desire,

To forgive your actions,

As I burn them in the fire.

Whichever will heal,

The self or another,

These words said with zeal,

Make my heart softer.

Thus I say: I forgive you [name(s)]

I forgive [read aloud what you’ve written on the paper]

Once you complete reading what you've written, burn the piece of paper in the flame. Place it in a cauldron or non-flammable bowl to prevent any fire hazards. Make sure to take note of your emotions and observe how they ebb and flow then disappear. Stay in the moment until you are satisfied with the spell. If you still feel the pain of the past haunting you, repeat the spell at another time until you are at peace.

Written by: https://afanc0d.tumblr.com/

date: 7/20/2021