February

February

                New Beginnings, Fresh start, Big Cleaning,                                              Banishing, Empowerment, Fertility, Purity.

Sabbat: Imbolc (February first) Full moon (different names for the same moon) : Stormmoon, Deadmoon, Snowmoon, Wild Moon

Is named Deadmoon because of lots of animals don’t survive the last bit of winter 

Colours: White, silver, black, red, yellow and blue. Decorations: Yellow flowers, lanterns Food & drinks: Herbal tea, chocolate, milk products, onions, garlic, seeds, apples and pears. Plants, trees & flowers: Laurel, oak, ivy, lavender, dandelion, snowdrop, crocus, sage and holly. Animals: Bear, fox, wolf, blue tit, hare, stork, dove, owl. Crystals: Amethyst, onyx, heliotrope, moonstoon, obsidian, topaz, pearls. February is the month for a big cleaning and to prepare for spring! January was a month to get sorted, now it’s the time for a fresh start. Cleanse your house or room and enjoy the last bit of winter.

Coffee Lore & Superstition ☕

☕ leaving coffee and bread inside a house will prevent ghosts haunting it

☕ bad luck follows if you stop using the regular coffee mug

☕ a cup of coffee will cure a headache

☕ when divining with coffee grounds, and the reader must not be thanked or the future foretold will not come true.

☕ drinking coffee might prevent you from growing facial hair

☕ if a coffee pot overcooks, it will bring bad weather.

spilling ☕

if you spill coffee on the plate under your cup by accident, you’ll come into money soon.

dropping a coffee while drinking, or smashing a coffee cup will bring bad luck

spilling coffee can be precursor to a blessing

if a girl spills coffee while brewing it, her lover is thinking of her

bubbles ☕

if the bubbles in the cup move towards the drinker it will foretells wealth.

if the bubbles in the cup move away from the drinker it will foretells loss.

catch the bubbles on your spoon and eat them to bring prosperity to you

one big bubble in your coffee is an omen for bad news.

a large bubble could mean a friend will arrive later.

bubbles gathering in the edge or the center of the cup indicates the weather, sunny in the center and rainy by the edges

the best meatloaf in a tomato sauce

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

𝕾𝖆𝖇𝖇𝖆𝖙𝖘

The sabbats are holidays celebrated throughout the year on solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints between them. These sabbats form the Wheel of the Year, honoured by many for centuries.

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🌲𝐘 𝐔 𝐋 𝐄 {December 20th//23rd, winter solstice}

Yule focuses on rebirth and renewal as the sun makes its way back to the earth. It's all about new beginnings, reflection and embracing warmth. Much like Christmas, many celebrate with a feast, gift giving, being cosy and appreciating the good.

↟Nature: cedar, frankincense, myrrh, mistletoe, pine, birch, ivy.

↟Foods//flavours: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, wintergreen, apple, dried fruit.

↟Stones: citrine, ruby, garnet, alexandrite, green tourmaline.

↟Activities: decorate your altar with incense associated with Yule, burn ash wood for prosperity, bake using Yule flavours like ginger or cinnamon, make wreathes to hang around the house, spend time with loved ones.

🕯️𝐈 𝐌 𝐁 𝐎 𝐋 𝐂 {February 2nd}

Imbolc focuses on celebrating the nature that is preparing to grow and renewal, also known as "candlemas" and the "Feast of Pan".

↟Nature: basil, blackberry, heather, celandine, iris, wisteria, vanilla, bay, yellow and white flowers.

↟Foods//flavours: pumpkin and sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, peppers, onions, spices, and herbal teas.

↟Stones: amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, onyx.

↟Activities: decorate with candles and sun decorations, go hiking, have a bonfire, bake foods with poppy seeds, and burn any leftover winter herbs.

🌼𝐎 𝐒 𝐓 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 {March 20th//23rd, spring equinox}

Ostara focuses on manifesting creativity and love. As the days become longer, energy becomes stronger.

↟Nature: ash, alder, daffodil, honeysuckle, narcissus, primrose, violet, jasmine.

↟Foods//flavours: olives, maple syrup, honey, edible flowers, chocolate, pine nuts, nettle or lavender tea, local fruits and vegetables.

↟Stones: amethyst, rose quartz, moonstone.

↟Activities: gardening and planting seeds, bake breads with olives or honey for example, start new projects, talk to plants, do some painting, decorate with wildflowers.

🌰𝐁 𝐄 𝐋 𝐓 𝐀 𝐍 𝐄 {May 1st}

Beltane focuses on fertility, love and abundance. Also known as "may day", on this sabbat many celebrate with dancing, bonfires and many high energy activities, including enjoying themselves sexually with a partner or conceiving children.

↟Nature: frankincense, lilac, ivy, marigold, woods, rose, thyme, mint, yarrow.

↟Foods//flavours: oats, leafy greens, fruits, breads, honey.

↟Stones: malachite, amber, fire opal, red jasper.

↟Activities: dance, decorate with florals and symbols of the sea, go to the beach, go hiking, have a bonfire, feast on fruits, vegetables and grains, laugh and let your hair down, perhaps have sex with someone where there is a connection.

🦋𝐋 𝐈 𝐓 𝐇 𝐀 {June 20th//23rd, summer solstice}

Litha focuses on growth and celebrating the longest day of the year and the sun, before the shorter days begin.

↟Nature: fern, yarrow, sage, rose, oak, mugwort, lavender, chamomile, myrrh, pine.

↟Foods//flavours: herbed bread, honey, sunflower seeds, iced herbal tea, lemon, vanilla.

↟Stones: lapis lazuli, amethyst, malachite, tiger's eye.

↟Activities: make or buy a sun catcher, surround yourself with warm tones, watch the sun rise and set, make sun water, spend time outdoors, make use of herbs.

🌾𝐋 𝐀 𝐌 𝐌 𝐀 𝐒 // 𝐋 𝐔 𝐆 𝐇 𝐍 𝐀 𝐒 𝐀 𝐃 𝐇 {August 1st}

Lughnasadh focuses on celebrating the first of the three harvesting sabbats and taking time to really feel the positivity in different aspects of life.

↟Nature: cornstalks, heather, acacia flowers, hollyhock, oak leaves, wheat, myrtle, spices.

↟Food//flavours: grainy bread, corn, potatoes, nuts, blackberries, wine.

↟Stones: amber, agate, citrine, clear quartz, obsidian, tiger's eye.

↟Activities: bake bread, make corn dolls, visit a sunflower field, spend time in nature, acknowledged what you are grateful for, journal.

🍁𝐌 𝐀 𝐁 𝐎 𝐍 {September 20th//23rd, autumn equinox}

Mabon focuses on honouring the change of the seasons, balance and peace.

↟Nature: sage, pine, marigold, thistle, acorns, milkweed, oak leaves, myrrh.

↟Food//flavours: cinnamon, nuts, beans, dark fruits, pies, soup, butterscotch.

↟Stones: citrine, carnelian, clear quartz, sapphire, yellow agate.

↟Activities: collect pine cones, donate food and old clothes, meditate, dry herbs, spend time with loved ones, speak to the nature around you.

🎃𝐒 𝐀 𝐌 𝐇 𝐀 𝐈 𝐍 {November 1st}

Samhain focuses on celebrating life, and honouring those who are no longer with us.

↟Nature: heather, sage, pumpkins, straw, flax, patchouli, myrrh.

↟Foods//flavours: apples, cider, pumpkin, pies, soups, stews, potatoes, ginger.

↟Stones: amber, black obsidian, fossils, onyx, sandstone, bloodstones.

↟Activities: honour the deceased, spend time with family, make a hearty comforting meal, make or buy a scarecrow, spend time practicing divination.

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Things you can do every sabbat, and how I enjoy celebrating:

↟Do a tarot reading relevant to that sabbat.

↟Spend time in the moonlight, charging my crystals and tarot cards, as well as meditating.

↟Bake something using at least one traditional food of that sabbat to share with others.

↟Sage cleanse my living space and any of my magickal items.

↟Write down how I am feeling and how I would like to feel in the weeks to come.

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ATTENTION: 2020 Witch Challenge??

I’m considering running a year-long witchcraft research challenge, but first I’d like to know who’s interested. It’d work like this:

Each month is assigned a topic. Before the month starts, I’ll release information about that months challenge. It’ll involve one task or assignment to complete each week (4 per month) at any time of your choosing. Most of these assignments will involve you posting your findings or final product under the challenge’s hashtag. The idea is that you can then go and read everyone else’s work and learn more that way (e.g. an assignment could be to research and post the properties of a herb of your choosing; you can then read everyone else’s posts to learn more without having to research thirty herbs on your own). I’ll be doing the challenge along with everyone else: the topics will be areas I know enough about to be able to guide the process, but I’ll be learning along with you.

I hope to structure this challenge so that it’s beneficial for all witches, regardless of their skill level. If you’re an expert on a months particular topic, you can drop out of the challenge until the next month. If you’re busy the first month, you can drop in on the second month, or catch up on missed tasks in your spare time. This challenge will be largely theory based, with a few practical components. I’m creating this because I’ve noticed that most of the witchcraft resources available on Tumblr are practical (spells, instructionals, etc.), and there is little attention paid to the why and how of witchcraft. If you don’t know why the spell you’re doing works the way it does, or how the various components affect it, then your craft is inevitably going to be less effective than it could be.

The topics I’m thinking are:

JAN: History of Witchcraft (covering both ancient and modern aspects)

FEB: Elemental Studies

MAR: The Wheel of the Year

APR: Meditation & Mind Skills (shielding, visualisation, etc.)

MAY: Divination

JUN: Astrology

JUL: Spellcraft

AUG: Green Witchcraft

SEP: Religions (a look at the other spiritual practices of the world to better understand our own)

OCT: Mythology

NOV: Locational Studies (how time, place and location affect magick)

DEC: Ritual Magick

I’d appreciate people reblogging (to spread the word) with suggestions and expressions of interest.