Does Anyone Associate Aphrodite Areia With Fighting For Something You Love Or Going To War For Your

Does anyone associate Aphrodite Areia with fighting for something you love or going to war for your country? Doesn't have to be national, but maybe going to a protest or taking risks because of what or who you love. I haven't done divination with her on this yet. Just curious.

Quantifying Your Craft: Witchcraft Journaling Questions (Autumn 2024)

I'm planning to do something like this every season around the equinox to see how my practice has changed.

General

Do you follow any paths or traditions?

🦇 No

How would you classify your practice?

🦇 I could call myself as a beginner practicioner. You can say you can play an instrument just because you know how to play a chord. I use whatever I have available to me and things I can do without anyone noticing. I am very experimental. I like to see things for myself and write my own spells, as others are usually not accessible to me.

Do you work with any deities?

🦇 When it comes to witchcraft, I've worked with Goddess Aphrodite once. Other than no. I need to get to it again some time.

Do you work by yourself or with others?

🦇 I work by myself as that's what I have available to me. But I would really like to have friends to celebrate special days with.

For how long have you been practicing?

🦇 I think I only got myself to believe in it towards the end of last year, but I only really started practicing this year.

Working Space

Do you have an altar?

🦇 No, I would love to have one but I don't live on my own and I practice in secret. I might decorate my room properly, fill it with enchanted items and turn it into an altar though. I have other things to handle first. I might get a little travel altar when I go to university.

Do you have a dedicated workspace or a space for magical workings outside of your home?

🦇 I don't have a dedicated space but I do my workings inside. I live somewhere where it's impossible to do anything without being interrupted. Unless the area is so deserted that there aren't even drunks outside.

If you could describe your ideal workspace, what would it look like?

🦇 I would like to have everything I use often in one place to find quickly. A notebook full of my spells, herbs I already have access to like mint, cloves, chilli peppers and salt. Maybe some candles. The playing cards I use for divination. A bowl to put things in. Some matches because I prefer them to lighters. Ropes and beads. Flowers I've gathered from the side of the road. The Harry Potter wand my cousins 3D printed for me as a birthday gift. A ritual dagger would be so cool, but unfortunately it has to be fake because I can't be trusted around sharp objects. I can imagine it placed nicely on a purple tablecloth.

Tools

Do you have tools that you work with?

🦇 I have a deck of playing cards. I'm using the one I already had at home. It does the job. One more thing I gotta figure out. When there are people home however, I use the deck of cards website. Still works. I haven't looked into how to use the wand I had talked about yet. Another thing on my to do list.

What do you use the most frequently? Do you have favorites?

🦇 I really like cloves. It's easy to have them around all the time because I can't chew gum and it's an alternative for bad breath.

Do you make or grow any of your components?

🦇 I don't grow anything just yet. I just use what I have at home. I do have some ideas in mind though.

Where do you acquire the things you need for magic?

🦇 I just use whatever I have at home or collect things from the plants outside.

What are your favorite sources of information?

🦇 I can't buy books so I like to watch long form videos on YouTube. I also like to meditate on things I use as correspondences.

Do you have a ritual garb or jewelry that connects you to your craft?

🦇 No but this is a good idea. I should make a bracelet or necklace to wear when I want to get in the mood for spell work.

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft is a complicated business. There are lots of moving parts, dozens of things to study, and so much information to try and keep straight in your head. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. Sometimes we forget things. Not just when the full moon is (although plenty of us do) but what it is we want to do with our craft.

And sometimes we feel like we’ve lost our drive. Like whatever moved us to become witches in the first place has somehow slipped away, leaving us with just the dregs. Sometimes we feel stuck, unable to make progress. It’s easy to become frustrated too, but it’s important to push on.

To that end, I offer this exercise.

Choose a journal or open a word document and begin quantifying your craft.

Start by outlining the broad concepts. Do you follow a particular path or tradition? How would you classify your craft, i.e. green witchcraft, cottagecraft, sea witch, lunar witch, and so on? Do you work with any deities, and if so, which ones? Do you work alone or with others? How long have you been practicing? What, to you, is the most important aspect of your craft?

Then get into your working space. Do you have an altar? If so, what’s on it and why? Do you have a dedicated workspace, or a place you go to work magic outside of your home? If you could describe your ideal workspace, what would it look like? 

Next, describe your tools. Do you have cards or runes or a wand or other specialized tools that you work with? What do you use most frequently? Do you have favorites? Do you make or grow any of your components? Where do you acquire the things you use in your magic, if you can’t make them at home? Do you have a personal library? What are your favorite sources of information? Do you have ritual garb or jewelry that connects you with your craft?

Sketch out your year as a witch. What holidays do you observe and how do you celebrate them? What seasonal festivals or special occasions do you mark? Which ones do you enjoy the most? Is there a time of year when you feel more energized?

Once you have all of this recorded, think back to what first interested you in magic and witchcraft and describe that. Was it a movie? A favorite book? A personal experience? Were you raised in the craft or did you come to it on your own? What made you decide to become a witch?

Then think about how you’ve progressed since you started. Have you achieved a particular goal you set when you began, or are you closer to achieving it then you were? What have you gotten really good at? Where are you still struggling? Where would you like to be a year from now? Are there things you’d like to try but haven’t yet?

And of course, if anything else occurs to you, record that too.

There is no need to share these thoughts with anyone if you don’t want to. This is purely a personal exercise, to help you understand where you are, where you’ve come from, and where you want to go. Quantifying this information might provide some much-needed inspiration, in addition to helping you solidify any nebulous thoughts that might be floating around. It’s much easier to progress in your craft if you have an outline for what you’re already doing.

Happy Witching!

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Want more witchcraft exercises? Check out the masterpost here.

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Whether they have physical bodies or not, (I think they do but it's not human-like, unless they want to shapeshift.) I believe they make their presence known in a way that's needed in the society. That's why what they are the deities of can vary among cultures. Even though I do believe in their existence I don't accept the myths as they are, but as stories that represent the culture. Based on what they thought the gods were like. Sometimes multiple deities can become one in a culture's mythology if that's what they need.

Question for Pagans and Polytheists

I thought I'm ugly. Sometimes I still think I am. Ever since working and building a relationship with Aphrodite its been like this looking in the mirror:

Me, staring at myself and acne: wow thats ug-

Aphrodite: i dare you.

Me: naturally occuring, im very pretty

Aphrodite: mhm.

Me, just looking at the mirror to see if I look good in my dress:

Aphrodite: YES! GORGEOUS, DARLING! BEAUTIFUL!

Me, passing by a mirror, in the same dress, at the mall: hey i kinda look-

Aphrodite: PRETTY! VERY VERY PRETTY! GOODNESS, SO GORGEOUS

And not only that, I've been able to control my anger better. its like she amped my patience! Yes, I asked her to bless my heart and fill it with love to share with people. And I believe to love is to be patient. Sure, I lose control every now and then but then again, I'm just a human who has a long way to go!

Thank you to Lady Aphrodite for helping me become a better and more loving person to myself and others. A long way to go but the journey isnt loney, I had Aphrodite to hold my hand and guide me to the right paths of life 🩷

What are your experiences with digital tarot or oracle card readings? Do they work? Do they work both for deity work and fortune telling? I use playing cards for deity work, however even with playing cards they suspect I am doing divination.

Save me horny goth music with religious undertone, save me