Happy Yule Guys !

Happy Yule guys !

I love this artwork, it belongs to @paperwitchco 🎃

Hi, witches.

Many people made comments similar to this: “cute, but pls remember that if you aren't native american, you shouldn't be calling smoke cleanses smudging! also, you shouldn't be using white sage because it's going extinct and native peoples need white sage in order to use it for their ceremonies !! witchcraft is a beautiful thing but we need to be respectful of other cultures whilst practicing it ”which makes me very sad, because as my first language is not English, for me it does not have a different meaning, so I did not realize that with this post I was disrespecting the native communities, I’m really sorry. Also, because of my allergies, I don't usually burn anything, but if you do, please do your research so as not to damage ecosystems. ♥️

Art by Loputyn.

A norse runework starter pack!

Because runework is basically at the core of my craft, I use it all the time and I’m already more than familiar with it. Runework is super easy to incorporate into everyday life and it’s got a wide range of use so I truly recommend. It feels safe and reliable, and I don’t need to put a lot of time or focus on them. Now let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns.

Their story real quick:

So in His endless search for knowledge, Odin the Allfather hung Himself and was pierced by His own spear in order to be alone with Himself. He accepted no bread and no mead until He found the truth He’d been looking for. And He did: through the darkness of His own mind, Odin saw the runes and reached for them. It was told they were so powerful He could bring a man back from the dead using them.

The basics:

The runic alphabet, otherwise called Futhark. Because I’m a history nerd I try to use the “elder futhark” as much as possible, though there’s a new one going around that’s really popular too.

The more complicated stuff:

Vegvisir (you’ll often find it depicted inside a rune circle like the second pic, especially on jewelry and pendants): Vegvisir is first and foremost a compass, and its name translated from Icelandic quite literally means “that which shows the way”. Historians speculate that its shape might be derived from old sailing wayfinders in Scandinavia, thus its association with the compass. It’s supposed to guide one’s way through the storm, according to a line in the Huld manuscript. (x, y)

Aegishjalmur (Helm of Awe): Protection, protection, protection! That’s what it’s about. All of its branches are considered to be “guarding” the center, thus making it a major protection rune. Once you get the gist of it, it’s super easy to draw and useful. If you’re a fan of dragons like me, perhaps you know Fafnir’s invicibility was drawn from this rune, as stated in the Fáfnismál: The Helm of Awe | I wore before the sons of men | In defense of my treasure; | Amongst all, I alone was strong, | I thought to myself, | For I found no power a match for my own. (x, y) 

Aight quick presentation for other complex runes:

Now; How do I use runes? Where do I put them? 

Draw them anywhere and everywere. I wouldn’t recommend painting a ten-feet inguz on the closest police station but there’s still tons of places where runes can be useful. I draw them inside my wrists and close to pulse points, as way of “pumping” them into my system, so to speak. I write them down to focus my intent during rituals, choosing the one/s I need most atm. In a similar way, I envision them during meditation to clarify my intent. I also use them to decorate altars or devotional art. If you’re a norse pagan like me, maybe look up what runes your main deities are associated with! Quick rundown:

Odin is usually othala or ansuz

I often see Freyja associated with fehu, but that’s also the case for most of the Aesir

Tyr with teiwaz

Thor with thurisaz or uruz; etc…

What about bind runes?

By definition and according to historical speculation, bind runes are futhark runes which were merged into a single glyph (sometimes by carving them all on a single straight line, like oghams). They were super rare back in the viking age but they’ve become popular in the last few years.

People create them according to their needs. This aspect makes bind runes extremely versatile and personal because you can set really specific intents for them. They’re not exactly like sigils, though: when it comes to sigils, feeling and instinct usually guide people’s creation process. As for futhark bind runes, they’re made using existing glyphs from this specific alphabet. Here’s a bunch of bind runes that have been going around, just to give you guys a few ideas of what they can look like:

OKAYYY that’s all for me, time to sleep

I've been thinking about my practice of witchcraft, and how i want to keep it secular but I also want to keep using the Wiccan wheel of the year. And how to do that without the whole god and goddess cycle story, which I've never really vibed with even if I could convince myself to believe in gods.

My solutions for this are extremely personal, but in case anyone else would benefit from it, here's what I've come up with:

Midwinter/Yule: all I wanna do in winter is curl up under a blanket with a bunch of warm food and sleep. Preferably with my partner and / or child and/or cat. So I've decided to make that my midwinter ritual: on the longest night, we'll grab a bunch of food and all curl up together under the big rainbow blanket I made us last year, and eat, and tell each other stories, or watch movies, or all just geek out next to each other until we fall asleep in a big warm pile. Or that's the plan, anyway. Ever since I've decided this, I've begun seeing rest in winter as a form of worship, a spiritual practice, which helps me feel less guilty and frustrated about needing more rest. (note: celebrating midwinter will not replace Christmas with my extended family, but it'll be a nice, undemanding ritual before the excitement and stress of Christmas.)

Imbolc: the end of winter. We will make pancakes or crêpes as a last big warm feast before we start eating healthy again. We'll dress in brightly coloured carnaval clothes and light candles or fairy lights to coax back the sun (or remind ourselves that it is returning, slowly but surely). It's always darkest just before dawn; likewise, this time of year is often pretty miserable weather-wise in my country, so I need a festival to look forward to at this time in particular.

Spring equinox : spring is here! Spring cleaning begins, be it of body, mind, house, relationships, etc. This is when the work outside begins : I'd start planting seeds and seedlings out in the garden, start new diy projects, etc. Next year, I'll probably start painting the walls at this time, too. Decorate with the first flowers, air the house so it smells fresh, clean and air everything thoroughly, eat eggy foods like Victoria sponge cake or meringue, go see baby animals, etc. At this point I should be able to start going on regular walks outdoors again.

Beltane/May Day: this day is traditionally about sex and fertilization. I guess that could make it a sort of Valentine's Day equivalent, but I'd also like a more ace-spec friendly interpretation of it: a time to celebrate collaboration, friendships and relationships that have been fruitful and helped each party to evolve and improve. May day is also labor day, so celebrate the work you've done and your achievements since Spring Equinox. Drink wine or fruit juice, eat spring fruits and edible flowers.

Summer solstice: longest day, shortest night. A good time to remember that too much heat and light can burn us, so we must protect ourselves and keep cool: eat ice cream and salads, drink lemonade, go cool off at the pool or in the sea, go camping in the mountains, sleep or stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day and stay up all night instead, stargazing and telling stories. A good time for adventures.

Lughnasadh: first proper harvest, though if you have a garden you've probably been harvesting stuff for a few months now. You have bounty! Share it! It doesn't matter if your bounty isn't of the vegetable kind: you can give your money, time, or energy to those who need it. (if you have none of those things, you should be the one receiving those things) Host a barbecue, make a donation, volunteer for a good cause, babysit for free or run errands for a stressed friend. This is the festival of giving back.

Autumn Equinox : second harvest, end of summer. Now is the time to preserve what you have: dry, freeze, cure, ferment, basically make sure whatever bounty you have is going to last the winter. Eat bread and jam, decorate with pine cones, acorns, nice fallen leaves, sticks, etc.

Samhain/Halloween/last harvest: now is the time to let go of anything you've been holding onto that will rot or hold you back during the winter. Go through your stuff and Marie Kondo everything. Let go of bad habits and toxic relationships. Spend at least part of this festival alone, away from outside influence, and focus on yourself. Confront your flaws and find ways to fix or temper them. The time for shadow work is now. You can also celebrate more traditionally by wearing a disguise and trick or treating, handing out sweets. Tell yourself the sweets are old patterns you're giving to someone who needs them more, and your costume can be the reflection of your shadow. Bonfires are also common around this time, so any banishing spells using fire can be cast now.

I know many of these have little or nothing to do with their original purposes in Wicca, but again, I'm not Wiccan any more: I just need a routine and rituals on a yearly level, to rhythm my life, and Wiccan/pagan holidays are the ones I'm most familiar and comfortable with, since it's the only religion I've practiced for more than five minutes.

I plan on giving meaning to the times between festivals, too, but I'll probably talk about that in a different post.

Actually the MOST cottagecore thing is fighting for indigenous sovereignty and then working communally on the land to support each other as well as the environment while not upholding colonial ideologies