Author: Modepogdemystic

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How to Regain Control Of your Life in One Day After Being Overwhelmed

Being overwhelmed is something we all experience at times in our lives. Some much more than others. ( My hand is definitely raised) With the current state of the world and the collective I feel myself and others are hitting their thresholds much quicker than usual or than we would like to be. Feeling overwhelmed has unwanted side effects and consequences for everyone us even though it may look different. I know for myself it may even look different from day to day.

Usually though when I am overwhelmed I get very snippy with my husband, and even passive aggressive. I have much lower patience with my son and end up not following my parenting philosophy when he is struggling and I make it worse. I will cancel things I had planned and avoid contact with others.

And if it gets bad enough I will start to avoid everything. I won’t do anything and will cancel everything. I will dissociate from myself and reality and in some of the worst cases another personality takes complete control of me for awhile and depending on which one, it can have even worse consequences than just being overwhelmed.

So, what can we do about?

I said we all experience it at times so we can’t avoid it. It will happen no matter what your best intentions are, how organized you are, or how well you maintain boundaries. This will happen no matter what simply because we are humans and living life and life is overwhelming at times and so are other humans. So, it’s unavoidable. But, even with that being true there are things we can do both before it happens to prepare and things we can do when it’s happening.

Before it happens

Before we ever even get overwhelmed and start to spiral we can have one of my favorite DBT skills created and on hand for us to use when this happens, called the cope ahead plan.

What is a cope ahead plan?

It is exactly like it sounds. It is a plan you create before a situation happens for how you will cope effectively if/when it does happen. In other words this is your cheat sheet/ to do list you pull out that tells you what to do when your emotions may be making it difficult to problem solve, cope, or be in wise mind.

Another benefit to creating one of these plans is the sense of ease and confidence it gives you that allows you to stop ruminating about things that haven’t happened yet. As someone with OCD I use these plans to even help me break free from routines that get triggered unintentionally. I even use these to make me able to be around other people especially family.

So, how do you create one?

First thing you do is DESCRIBE. You describe the situation that is likely to happen get very detailed about the situation. You check the facts with what you are describing and make sure you are being justified with your description and not letting emotions influences the description but, do note what emotions you are feeling

Second, DECDE what problem solving or coping skills you want to use for this specific situation. What skills will assist you the best with the specific feelings this situation is making you feel. Be detailed!

Third, IMAGINE THE SITUATION in your mind as vividly as possible. Imagine and immerse yourself in the situation as if it is happening now in the present.

Fourth, REHEARSE IN YOUR MIND COPING EFFECTIVELY. This one is the most important part of the skill and the part I feel most forget, myself included at times. When it says rehearse it means rehearse. You fully act out your actions, you say the words you want to say, you respond emotional the way you want to respond, you rehearse every part of what you coping effectively will look and feel like to you. You do this as many times as you need to. Until you feel prepared and any anxiety or unwanted feelings dissipate.

Fifth, PRACTICE RELAXATION AFTER REHEARSING. It is exactly what is says. Go and do something relaxing to bring your emotions back to wise mind after rehearsing.

After doing all those steps you now have a cope ahead plan. I recommend writing out this plan on a sheet of paper especially what you want to say. It makes rehearsing it easier to do and you can come back to it over and over again if its a situation you have to cope ahead for often in your life.

So, what skills for coping should you put in your cope ahead plan?

Every single cope ahead plan will look different for each person and situation but, let me give you some ideas of what can go in your cope ahead plan for when you are just feeling overwhelmed with life, you have been down, off track, and avoiding things/events/others. The list I will go over below is not all inclusive and some things may not work for you change it up to fit your needs.

1. Get ready for the day

When I am overwhelmed in life whether it be due to metal health, a busy schedule or just life being life one of the first things to go for me is personal hygiene. I don’t shower for days, brush my teeth, my hair ends up in a ponytail nonstop, and I only change my clothes if they get wet from doing the dishes or something. So, for me to get back any sense of control and joy I force myself into the shower, I put clothes on that make me feel joy not just simply comfortable, I brush my teeth, do my hair and anything else I haven’t done in awhile. Every time I always surprise myself by how much more rejuvenated I feel after doing this and how much of the fog lifts.

2. Declutter

Another thing for me that will start to go is cleanliness of my physical space. Even though I am aware for me something not being clean is extreme and most would think it is still perfectly clean. It still affects me, my mental health and my emotions if it isn’t as clean as my brain would like it to be. So, I start to declutter. I tell myself to just focus on decluttering so I don’t swing to far one way and go from avoiding things by doing nothing to avoiding things by distraction and doing way to much. That just creates a different type of overwhelm to now be coping with. So, be careful and mindful of that.

3. Get outside

Even if it is just for 1 minute step outside in some way. I know that it isn’t always ideal or safe to do. I live in Minnesota and sometimes it’s just too damn cold to go outside and it hurts. Not only because I am a witch and pagan so, for me it’s spiritual and religious self care but, there is actual science behind it! When we go outside and make contact with the earth we get an influx in energies we need that cause us to reset and cleanse. Plus the fresh air in our lungs is invigorating and gives you more energy as well.

4. Build mastery

What this means is doing something completely that makes you feel like an absolute master at that skill when you are done. Whether it be something like sweeping your kitchen floor, making your bed, washing your hands, writing your grocery list or creating something. Doing this helps you feel self esteem and confidence and reminds your brain what it feels like to accomplish something while reminding you that you can still accomplish things even when feeling unwanted emotions.

5. Organize some part of your life

Whether it be your schedule for the week, your to do list, a meal plan or anything else you need to organize, plan, and schedule some part of your life. Doing this again helps you feel a sense of accomplishment, self esteem, and makes you feel like there is a little less for you to have to worry about and feel overwhelmed over. Doing this can also help you with checking the facts of why you became overwhelmed in the first place.

6. Do some type of self care activity

It does not matter what type of self care you do, physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, etc. you simply just need to do whatever your intuition is calling you to do that is all about taking care of you. It is about recharging your battery. Connecting you to joy. And reigniting your flame of desire.

7. Do a brain dump

This one might not work for everyone it is really going to depend on your brain and your own needs for order and organization. For some doing a brain dump will only overwhelm them more and for others like me it helps keep me realistic and it stops my brain from thinking it is never ending. Seeing it all written down on one page makes my see that there is an end in sight and that it is tangible for me to reach and the sense of overwhelm will subside and a sense of motivation starts to take over.

8. Use the Post it Method

This is a skill one of the DBT therapist taught us in group one day as bonus skill. I modified it for my own use so I will tell you both ways to use this one.

The first one is using to get you to do things. What you do is you grab some sticky notes and a pen and you get yourself in wise mind and you ask yourself what are the top ( however many you choose) things you have been avoiding and procrastinating doing? You write them on a post note and place them somewhere you will have no choice but, to see them to use as motivation to get you to complete the task. Once you do you get to remove the post it note and feel another boost of accomplishment, self esteem, and confidence to further enhance your motivation.

The second one, is using it to restrict how many things you do. This for me was way more important for my OCD. My issue isn’t really not doings things. It’s taking on and doing to many things. So, how I modified this was when it came to getting my posts it I limited the number I was allowed to write. I picked a number and I could only choose that many task to get done and do that day. And when I had completed them all I wasn’t allowed to go and create new ones and add more. If they were gone it meant I had to relax and no longer work on my to do list.

Again, this helps give you that sense of accomplishment and it gives a structure on how you will do it. You also get that visual reinforcement as well that you have a skill to use to cope effectively.

9. Spend some extended time in Wise mind

Everyone has different skills and ways they get themselves into wise mind. If you don’t know what wise mind is; it’s using both your emotional mind and reasonable mind to access the wisdom within you. It’s seeing value and in both your reason and your emotions. It’s bringing your left brain and your right brain together. It’s walking the middle path and existing and thinking in duality.

It’s our goal to be in this state of mind as often as we can be and to try and make most if not all of our decisions from this place so we can live a life worth living. Spending some extended time in this state of mind can help us to check the facts, realign, and be able to move forward in an effective way. So do this however you need to. Again it will look different for all of us whether it’s meditating, using the stone flake on the lake technique, the spiral staircase, or breathing techniques.

Create your Cope ahead plan to fit you and your needs

The list and ideas in this blog post are just the very beginning of the options you have to put in them and it doesn’t even include all of them I use for this specific situation either because, it can change time to time. So, use this as a starting place, experiment and create a cope ahead plan that will best benefit you when you feel overwhelmed. No matter how that looks, by avoiding things, doing to much or something else entirely. Keep that plan in a safe spot and pull out any time you need it remembering you created it just for that moment and feeling to help you.

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Baba Yaga; The Hag Goddess of Wisdom

Baba yaga is an incredibly fascinating witch and goddess. Her name alone just draws you in to learn more about her and pulls you into the slavic forest in search of her wandering hut on chicken legs. She will pull many in to learn about her but very few will actually learn her magic and walk her path with her.  Some view her as simply a folklore character, others a witch, some a hag, and to others she is seen as an ancestral figure to honor as a goddess. 

We can learn much from her when we are open to her wisdom. Her light is that of our ancestors, whose flame has been burning for generations. Death and rebirth are the domains of Baba Yaga, the Slavic goddess of regeneration.

Baba Yaga is staple of Slavic lore. She can be found in stories across several countries as a specific character, not just an archetype. What I find most interesting about her is that she is portrayed, almost equally, as a villain and a benefactor.

Who is she?

Baba yaga is seen in many folklore tales throughout the Slavic and Russian culture. Like I touched on before many see her as just that. A folklore character that has many myths and legends surrounding her of her doing dark things like eating children who wander into the woods.  But, many others view her as a divine ancestor, a powerful spirit, an ancient earth goddess. Though her lineage is unknown and we do not know where or who she came from or her parents which is a reason she is seen as primordial energy and not being of this world of the underworld. She is also referred to as the keeper of the waters of life aka the fountain of youth and when I have worked with her she has shown me a door that only she has the key to and explained all knowledge of time is within it.

Her importance during ancient times

In ancient cultures, older women were seen as the keepers of family or tribal wisdom and tradition, and they were revered as such.

These knowing women were thought to be familiar with the mysteries of birth and death; as a result, they were qualified to care for the sick and dying, and they were endowed with the function of bringing life and death.

Her name

The first part Baba translates to old woman or grandmother. Depending on the region and people, this can be a term of endearment or even an insult. It essentially points to the fact that the woman is in her elderly years and may even be ugly or misshapen, to some. Which is where we see the connection and description of her being a hag goddess being so common. To others, it gives the woman a certain power and wisdom

Yaga,  this part of her name is a little harder to translate and understand. There have been literally dozens of translations looking at various languages in Eastern Europe and Russia. Some include terror, horror, serpent, chill, witch and even dryad or wood nymph.

Her many images

Baba Yaga isn’t just one thing. She’s many: a monster, witch, hag, villain, divine grandmother, earth goddess, forest spirit, shapeshifter, light bringer, and to some she’s even considered a hero. According to Judika Illes, while Baba is of Slavic prominence, she may have once been the Scythian goddess of the hearth Tabiti. Though, I believe we can see her as many of the deities of the hearth. Including Hestia of Greek origin and Holda and Berchta of Germanic origin. We also can draw a connection to her and the celtic goddess Cerridwen with what she has to offer and her connection to herbal knowledge.  

To modern witches and Slavic pagans, Baba Yaga is a witch goddess who lives deep in a birch forest. She’s the keeper of herbal and healing wisdom and grants her knowledge to those who are worthy and of whom seek initiation.

Baba Yaga’s myths over the centuries have turned her into the wicked witch of the forest, seen as ugly and old. This is more commonly a societal view of how many see elderly women set in their ways and often shunned by younger generations who value beauty and youth over age and experience.

The tales say Baba is an old woman with iron teeth like boar tusks. She has bear claws and wears a necklace of skulls, smokes a pipe, and sometimes has a golden or iron foot. In other belief, she’s a snake from the waist down. Some say she wears an apron and holds a key to life’s mysteries. She flies about in a mortar, holding a pestle. Sometimes she holds a broom with which to sweep away any signs she’s been about.

When she’s first documented in 1755 (that we know of), the writer says Baba has bony legs, iron teeth, and refers to misshapen or repulsive features. Including the old woman’s nose, breasts, buttocks and vulva. Baba appears in a list along with other Slavic deities, with all of the others compared to Roman deities. But not Baba she’s on her own. Which shows her sovereignty and power.

Baba Yaga is associated with the dark forests, death, rebirth, sickness, dying, but also healing, renewal, sage wisdom and advice that comes from experience and a long life.

Her wise grandmother’s energy is strict and harsh, but for your own well being.

Her energy is most strongly felt in the autumn, leading up to Mabon and Samhain as the leaves change color and the temperatures begin to get cooler.

Baba yaga and the liminal space

Baba Yaga is not quite of this world and the next as she remains otherworldly between the physical world and the spirit world/underworld.

A crone witch and often referred to as a goddess, Baba Yaga can be considered part of the dark goddess archetype.

She is seen as a liminal witch and not quite of this world due to her magical hut which is central to her mythology and who she is. Baba Yaga is found between the worlds, not exactly of the spirit world or the underworld and not quite of this world either.

Her connection to death, mortality, fraility can be connected to the same as ghosts who roam the Earth and the magick of the mythological forest creatures such as the Rusalka (русалка) and Leshy (леший). 

However,  even with Baba Yaga as a dark/crone goddesss she doesn’t reside in the underworld, but she is connected to what it represents.

Baba yaga’s hut

Baba Yaga’s home is strongly connected to her mythology, which is also associated with the familiarity of the home and our ancestral connections. 

 So, where is Baba Yaga’s house and what does it look like? 

The tales say Baba Yaga’s house is deep in a birch forest. And that it sits atop a pair of giant chicken legs. Because it has legs, it can move. In other tales, her cabin sits atop the legs of a goat or spindle wheels.

Around Baba Yaga’s house, there’s a fence with skulls that sit on top. These skulls glow at certain times. And in her cabin, there’s a large oven akin to a cauldron. Baba Yaga is said to stretch out on top of this oven to warm herself, and in some tales, she’s so large that she can reach both corners of her home as she stretches out atop it. The cauldron in her home screams of Baba’s domain over magic, regeneration, ancestral wisdom and initiation into the magical arts and is where we see Cerridwen popping up again. During the day, a white horse and a red horse may be seen outside her hut. And at night, a black horse. It may also be surrounded by other wildlife including birds, squirrels, snakes, etc.

Baba yaga and Vassalissa the wise

Vassalissa the Wise may be the most well-known story featuring Baba Yaga.

One of the more famous of the Baba Yaga stories features the main character not as the old woman herself but a young maiden named Vasalisa. 

In the tale of Baba Yaga and Vasalisa the Wise, Baba takes on her typical personality as the fearsome witch in the wood. The young maiden, Vasalisa, is sent away by her evil stepmother and stepsisters. They selfishly and sadistically hope that Vasalisa will die in the cold, dark forest. But instead, Vasalisa comes to the hut of Baba Yaga, and the old woman offers her life as well as shelter and food in return for Vasalisa’s hard work around the house. And any other duties the old woman might require.

For three whole days, Vasalisa toils over the chores (without complaint) and cooks the old woman her meals. With the help of a poppet she holds in her pocket that is a vessel for her dead mother’s soul. And each day Vasalisa is met with 3 horses on the old woman’s property whom she also saw while traveling in the forest before coming to the hut. There’s a white and red horse that appear during the day, and a black horse that appears at night. Baba also threatens to put Vasalisa in her cauldron if she doesn’t complete her chores each day. On the third day, Vasalisa is brave enough to ask Baba Yaga a question. Vasalisa asks about the three horses, to which the old woman replies:

“The white horse is my bright day;

the red horse is my red, round sun;

And the black horse is my black, dark night.”

At the end of the three days, Vasalisa is granted her desire to return home. Baba Yaga gifts her a skull that lights up to light her way home. When Vasalisa returns home with the skull, she sets it in her stepmother’s hearth. Immediately, the stepmother and stepsisters are so taken with the skull that they can’t break eye contact. In turn, this turns them to ash and Vasalisa is free from their evil ways. She takes the skull and returns to Baba Yaga in the woods. Upon which Baba Yaga invites her to learn her ways.

Take aways from this myth:

Sacred Number 3: birth, death, rebirth; night, dawn, day; maiden, mother, crone

Cauldron of regeneration and initiation

The blood red horse may be akin to a woman’s menstruation and initiation into womanhood

Ancestral magic: Vasalisa holds a poppet in her pocket with the energy or spirit of her dead mother that guides and helps her throughout her trial with the old woman in the woods

Birch forest: also a symbol of regeneration and renewal, as well as of the Goddess in many European traditions

Initiation process: successfully completing an ordeal that tests one’s patience and brings one to death’s door and back again

Correspondences

First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently in like I will list below for you to use.

  • Sign- scorpio
  • Colors- red, white, black
  • Animals- snakes, horses, chickens, creatures of the forest, cat
  • Archetype- crone
  • crystals/gemstones-Garnet, bloodstone, tourmaline, smoky quartz
  • Epithets- Baba, Boba, Baba Den, Jezi Baba
  • herbs/flowers- nightshade, patchouli, sandalwood, geranium
  • Season- autumn and samhain
  • Tree-birch
  • symbols-mortar and pestle, broom, cauldron, skulls, flame 

When to work with Baba yaga

  • Advice
  • Guidance
  • Healing (physical ailments)
  • Wildcrafting
  • Herbalism
  • Relationship advice
  • Hedge Witchcraft

Baba Yaga gives straight-forward advice, knowledge and wisdom to those who respectfully request and want to improve their witchery skills.

Her witchery expertise is in areas of herbology and wildcrafting (using wild and natural items found in nature and forests), along with hedge witchcraft. Baba Yaga can help to give wisdom and teachings when it comes to witchcraft (folk magick) and healing.

She uses natural items in forests and nature that bring healing in herbal salves, ointments and teas and herbs that can be used in folk magic.

If you work with herbs in your practice, you can work with Baba Yaga to help you perfect your craft and improve your skills and knowledge with herbs and healing with herbs.

In meditation, Baba Yaga can offer healing teas and herbs that can work to help ease discomfort and minor ailments such as upset stomach, minor colds, seasonal allergies, rashes/hives, headaches, etc.

If you’re looking for the right herb for a spell or natural healing, you can call on Baba Yaga to guide you to the right resources or materials.

How to know if you should work with her

“Be prepared. Baba Yaga is not an easy teacher. And she is definitely no pushover. She will challenge you, she will test you, and she will push you farther than you ever believed you could go. But, like a tough coach or a domineering drill sergeant, perhaps it’s because she believes in you more than you may believe in yourself. To work with her takes courage, intelligence, resourcefulness, and even a little bit of moxie, but if you’re ready for the challenge, you’ll reap incredible rewards—climbing higher, going farther, and doing more than you ever thought possible.” ~ Madame Pamita, author of Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft.

You’ll know if Baba Yaga is calling you to her house and to her craft. But if you’re unsure, here’s a few signs she might send you:

The Birch tree keeps showing up in books, TV, etc.

You see Baba Yaga’s name everywhere online, movies, books, etc.

You’ve had a vision, dream or meditation in which Baba Yaga approaches you or you find her house in the birch forest

Three horses come to you as an omen (and an even bigger sign if there’s one white, one red and one black)

You might see a cauldron, broom, or spinning wheel as signs

Dreaming of skulls along a fence-line or in the hearth

If you’re going through an initiation process in life, at work, in a skill or spiritually

How to work with her

Here are just a few ideas of how to work with her and always remember it may look different and feel different for each and every one of us so just follow your intuition and your call. 

1. Read and Research

The first thing I always recommend when getting to know a deity is to read as much as you can about them. If you’re not a reader, watch documentaries. Listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Whatever you can find about Baba Yaga will be helpful in getting to know her from a respectful, cultural perspective. She is featured in many fairy tales, movies, poems, and even in children’s books. Some books written from a modern witchcraft perspective include Madame Pamita’s Book of Witchcraft, Baba Yaga by Natalia Clarke, and a fun read called Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Trouble by Taisia Kitaiskaia.

Some common myths to look into about her will be Maria Morevna, where she makes a deal to help Prince Ivan find his bride, only to sabotage his effort to keep his end of the bargain, which would have resulted in his death. And The Black Geese, where her only goal is to capture and eat children.

2. Set Up An Altar for Baba Yaga

Every deity and spirit appreciates their own space. Baba is no different. If you have a mantle or space near a wood stove, this is the perfect spot for her as she’s highly linked to the hearth in Russian lore.

When working with Baba Yaga, offerings of thanks should be made each time after making a connection with Baba Yaga or asking for her advice, guidance or help.

If you know some poetry or words in Ukrainian, Russian, Polish or any Slavic language, you can give thanks to Baba Yaga in these languages.

At your altar, you can leave tokens of appreciation and thanks to Baba Yaga such as:

Include objects that make her feel at home: a cauldron, broom, or mortar and pestle for example.

Tobacco / cigarettes

Vodka

Food: kovbasa, borshch, patychky, varenyky (pierogis), bread (хліб), potato pancakes (картопяні млинці)

Decoration: wheat, traditional embroidery or rushnyky (traditional embroidered towels/rugs), matroshka (nesting dolls), pysanky (decorated Ukrainian eggs), skull decorations, bones (ethically gathered or sourced), images or statues of Baba Yaga and/or her house.

These offerings can also be left in forests at the foot of a tree or a special area that you dedicated outside for Baba Yaga.

3. Initiation Process

Baba will take you on a road to initiation deep in her forest. This process will be different for every devotee. You may be required to perform acts of service in her name, perhaps by aiding in preservation of the earth, forest, or wildlife. Perhaps through herbal studies. And she may even quiz you with riddles. Be open to learning, being patient, and working hard. Ask Baba Yaga how you can learn from her.

4. Work with herbs

Baba yaga is a master with herbs and plants as she is so at home in the forest. She has so much knowledge on herbal remedies and usages for alignments. Working with herbs and studying them especially the more dangerous one like Nightshade are a great way to connect to her and learn from her.

5. Shadow work 

Since Baba yaga resides in the Liminal space, and is so connected to the primordial wisdom of the earth and our ancestors she makes one of the perfect goddesses to call on for shadow work. She is intense though one of the most intense goddesses I have ever called in during a shadow work session. When you enter her hut for a shadow work session you will go deep in the liminal space and be pushed further than have before to really get the answers the forest and your ancestors from the beginning of time have to offer you. So, be prepared for this journey with her she will push you and she will show you everywhere you made a mistake and caused your own suffering to get worse. 

6. Call to her for discipline

Something I don’t see often from other witches is using her for discipline and structure. Baba Yaga is that overbearing, strict, I will slap your hand away grandmother type energy. Due to this attitude of strictness she has she is perfect to call on for situations where you need a little more discipline like quitting a bad habit or maintaining your schedule. You can do this by calling to her in spells and invocations when setting intentions for discipline and even calling to her while binding or banishing a habit you wish to stop. She suggests that when doing this you spin in a circle to signify and understand the difficulty it takes to break free of a cycle.

7. Work with her as the triple goddess

 It is said that Baba Yaga has two other sisters, who are also Baba Yagas who live in Her hut. Baba Yaga becomes a Triple Goddess in this fashion, embodying the Virgin, Mother, and Crone. The “Keeper of the Water of Life and Death” is another name for Baba Yaga. So, if you work the triple goddess archetype you can use her as the crone representation alone or as all three. I have seen and done both myself. 

8. Guided meditation to meet her

The purpose is to meet Baba Yaga so you my get to know the true Goddess. This meditation is best done during the dark moon. It is a solitary medition best done alone. Cast a circle if you like or just get comfortable in you favorite meditation position. Make sure the room is dark and you will not be disturbed

. Now let us begin.

You have entered a thick forest, but some how you know your way. You reach an opening in the trees. There before you is the home of the Goddess Baba Yaga. The fence is made of bones topped with human skulls. The house dances on chicken legs. It is a fearsome sight, yet you know there is nothing to fear. You reach the gate and ring the bell for her. In a harsh voice she asks what you want. With a pure heart you tell her why you wished to meet her. She flies out of her house in her mortar to greet you. How are you feeling? What are your impressions? Baba Yaga approaches and asks you to come with her for a ride. Do you hesitate? Go with her. Fly through the air in the mortar with Baba Yaga. Take note to where she takes you and what she tells you. Enjoy the feeling of flying! Baba Yaga will know when it is time to come back. When you return to her home, thank her and give her a gift. Does she give you a gift? If so, what is it? You know your way back through the woods.

 Now you know the way and can visit Baba Yaga when needed.

Note: When I rode with Baba Yaga in her mortar the first time she ground me up into little pieces with her pestle. She then sprinkled the waters of life on me and I was back to myself. I felt refreshed, as if the unneeded traits were ground away. Baba Yaga came to me as a healer. She taught me all healers must be intimately familiar with the cycles of life and death. She remains guardian of both the underworld and the fountain of the waters of life

No matter how you choose to work with her if you even do just remember to show her respect, understanding and to express gratitude for all the wisdom she brings to you no matter how harsh of way she does it in. I will leave you with this poem written about her to help you connect and  decide if she is a goddess you would like to work with. 

Baba Yaga

Wild Woman

I walk in the forest

and speak intimately with the animals

I dance barefoot in the rain

without any clothes

I travel on pathways

that I make myself

and in ways that suit me

my instincts are alive and razor sharp

my intuition and sense of smell are keen

I freely express my vitality

my sheer exuberant joyfulness

to please myself

because it is natural

it is what needs to be

I am the wild joyous life force

Come and meet me

By Amy Sophia Marashinsky

To expand your knowledge about her and meet her in guided meditation or if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on YouTube below!

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Working with the Practical, Productive and Nurturing Virgo Full Moon

We have entered a new lunar phase today, the full moon and this full moon in February is bringing us into the practical, productive and nurturing energy of Virgo. This Virgo full moon arrives to bring a balance of order, logic, and grounding. The Virgo Full Moon makes you aware of the state of your mental, emotional and physical health, thus may lead to changes in your lifestyle and getting the support you need to release old hurts.

This sign gets a lot of crap in the zodiac and many do not like to work with it and we see often people talking about how this is their most hated sign and energy to work with. For me this moon is one of my favorites every time it comes around. Maybe, it’s because I not only am a Virgo moon and rising, but I have Virgo in 9 of my houses so, when this moon comes around I personally am amplified.

Or, maybe it’s because this energy is so dense and steeped in duality and movement that I just simply can not wait to see what I can accomplish and get done in it.

Let me show you in this post the many reasons the Virgo energy should be your favorite energy to embrace instead of one of the most hated in the zodiac.

First, What is the Full Moon

Over the centuries, the Moon has played a significant role in different cultures and traditions. The full moon simply put is when the moon is completely illuminated in the sky and it has reached it’s peak in this lunar cycle in the sky. When the moon is completely illuminated it’s time for all to reach full expression. The full moon is the most powerful and potent time of the entire lunar cycle.

A full moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact opposite positions in the Zodiac (called an opposition). The full moon greatly affects humans and it’s no wonder it does because, there’s a scientific reason for this – we are made up of 60% or more of water.

Full Moons are the peak point of the lunar cycle: at this time of the month, the light of the Sun is fully illuminating the Moon, and the luminaries are exactly opposing one another from our perspective on Earth. This potent alignment offers us opportunities to gain more awareness about what is moving in our inner and emotional world, and information previously uncertain or hidden could be revealed at this time.

There are so many ways to work with the full moon, to learn more how to work with the full moon energy check out my blog post here; https://modgepodgemystic.com/working-with-the-full-moon/

But, remember each full moon will be slightly different and have different practices to add and different ways to do it based on which zodiac sign the full moon is currently in at the time.

So, who is Virgo?

Who is Virgo in the Zodiac? Virgo is represented by the virgin or maiden archetype and is deeply connected to the element of earth and a mutable sign. Virgo is an Earth sign so it’s practical, but it’s also related to Mercury which means it has an active mind and related to communication as well. Virgo reminds us of the importance of maintaining a solid connection with the Earth and encourages us to connect with sparks of divine order amidst the vast universal chaos.

Virgo is also the sign of health, so we may focus on trying to work on health issues. This can be a good time to eliminate a bad habit, to quit something that is causing us harm, and we can be more dedicated to this.

Virgo can also be seen across many pantheons as a key representation to the seasons, duality, and a key part to the divine feminine energy we all are connected to. Virgo representing the maiden and virgin energy makes her vital to the triple goddess representation of the divine feminine energy.

She represents and connects us to the first pivotal transformation and shift we go thru in our lives moving from child to a maiden before the next phase into the mother energy of our lives. You see this energy and representation with goddesses like Persephone and her story of transformation to power thru duality.

Virgo the Practical and analytical mind

Virgo is deeply connected to our practical and analytical side of our mind and it is heightened with it’s connection to mercury as well. With it being so analytical this energy can cause us to go deep into our minds and reflect. The Virgo Full Moon highlights the invitation to notice in what areas of our lives we need more discernment, better boundaries, and a stronger connection with the Earth.

Virgo likes to cut through the noise and get to the good stuff — constantly sorting out thoughts, feelings, and everything around them. Leave it to Virgo to figure out what’s useful or useless, what’s true or not true, what’s right or wrong. It’s not surprising that this sign’s motto is “I analyze.”

The Virgo Full Moon offers us chances to see where better standards may be needed, where we may be ungrounded or excessively idealistic, and what needs to be differently structured or organized for the sake of better functionality or health. This lunation also invites us to refine our capacity to discern between the whispers of our intuition and the voice of our fears and insecurities. Take the time to really focus on differentiating between those voices especially in this energy and don’t allow the analytical energy of Virgo to turn into ruminating thoughts which it can very easily do.

Virgo the sign of the working mind and heightened productivity

The Virgo Full Moon is often a time of heightened productivity. Virgo is the sign of work, and Full Moons rule endings, so we’re working hard to get things done. The urge to finish your to do lists is going to be overwhelming and you may become very hyper focused on them. We can tackle projects, tasks, and chores at home or at a job, and we want to feel we’re getting all of the little things out of the way.

Virgo is very detailed orientated, and thrives in order and cleanliness. So, when we are in this energy we can be focused and pay close attention to detail, and end up getting many things off of our list of things to do. We can get hyper focused on tidying things up in our physical space by spring cleaning or reorganizing our home.

With the extra attention to detail we can take a look at all areas of our life to see where it can use some more structure and order to lead to the productivity. I know for me I end up redoing my bullet journal, my family binder, my schedule, my sons schedule, the list could go on. I end up endlessly planning and rearranging things but, in a very reflective way with purpose and drive for long term goals.

This is also an excellent time to work on any projects as this diligent sign has an uncanny ability to analyze the critical details most of us would miss!

Virgo always being of service to others

Virgo is the sign of service to others and is overflowing with nurturing energy that simply wants to help anyone and everyone they see that needs it. Virgo is literally the healing energy of the cosmos and the energy that will help you with anything you need help with. Virgo takes deep happiness from helping others as well. You see this with many of your nurses, doctors, lawyers and social workers being from this sign.

Since, Virgo loves to lend a helping hand, so don’t be surprised if you are the first person to volunteer when a friend asks for a favor right now. But, don’t be mistaken — you won’t feel obligated in the least bit. Because Virgo loves to pitch in, you’ll not only want to come to someone’s aid, but you’ll also get extreme satisfaction from it.

Things to look out for with Virgo

So, let’s talk about the reasons why this sign tends to be so hated and what to look our for yourself with the Virgo energy. Since Virgo is so attached to your analytical side and so detail orientated it can come off as and be very critical at times of others. So, try and slow down and be clear with your communication with others during this time. Let them know you are coming from a place of caring, and simply wanting to help.

With it being critical one thing this energy may do is cause your reflection and analysis to get very critical and harsh with yourself and cause some perfectionism to take over. So, remember to harness in on the part of the Virgo energy that is nurturing and helping to others and extend it to yourself. And remember Virgo is the sign of health so physical self care can really build self compassion and help keep your critical thoughts at a productive level and not a harmful one.

Remember how Virgo brings heightened productivity and a push to get stuff done? That can sometimes go into overdrive with the Virgo energy. It can become so strong you simply want to go, go, and go. You may feel the need to get so much done you push yourself to burn out.

During this time remember that the only way you can continue to be productive is by taking those breaks now and than when you need them. So take them! Set yourself some reminders in your phone even if you have to. Nothing, feels worse than doing a massive amount of work to watch it all backslide because you burn yourself put and can’t follow through.

Use Virgo to release perfectionism

Full Moon in Virgo highlights the need to resolve imbalances, connect with a deeper sense of harmony, and gain a better understanding of how, where, and when we tend to get polarized or tempted to adopt a “one size fits all” approach. This energy helps us create a balance between the emotional and the practical.

Virgo reminds us of the dangers of idealization, it reminds us that perfection is a trap, and also that remaining stuck in fantasy doesn’t allow us to appreciate and be present with what is already available to us.

The Virgo Full Moon is a powerful time to release our attachment to ideas of how something should be, unfold, or look like, making sure we keep our feet on the ground, practicing self-compassion, and learning to love both ourselves and others in our humanness.

How to Connect to the Virgo Full Moon

Now, that we have talked about the themes of this Virgo full moon and how it is going to affect you let’s talk about how you can specifically connect to and work with this moon.

First, make sure to do all of your staples that your learned in the previous blog post linked here https://modgepodgemystic.com/working-with-the-full-moon/ for you like, charging your crystals, making moon water, https://modgepodgemystic.com/moon-water-a-magical-staple/ and resetting your altar.

With this moon there are certain spells and rituals that will help connect you this moon in the most effective way. Remember these are just some of the many ideas follow your intuition and the energy of this moon.

  • Reflect on your daily routine
  • clean and cleanse your physical space
  • Grounding
  • Earth/green magic
  • Create an earth altar
  • Worship Persephone or any goddess that represents the maiden energy
  • Reorganize your home
  • Cast a spell for personal growth
  • Create a sacred safe space in your home
  • service to others
  • Do shadow work to release unrealistic expectations and perfectionsim
  • Cast any physical health spells
  • Do binding, banishing, or chord cutting for any unwanted habits
  • Start a bullet journal for planning and routine
  • divination
  • Create a self care routine
  • Create a self care altar or spell jar

Correspondences for the Virgo full moon

First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently in like I will list below for you to use.

  • planet-Mercury
  • Element- Earth
  • Sex- Feminine
  • Modality- mutable
  • Symbol- the maiden/virgin
  • colors- green, light blue, black
  • Phrase/motto- I Analyze
  • Chakra- Throat and root
  • Herbs- poppy, rosemary, vine, fennel
  • Stones/ crystals- amethyst, citrine, fluorite, lapis lazuli, green aventurine
  • tarot- the hermit

Reflection topics and questions for Virgo Full Moon

Every full moon is a great time to for reflecting on those seeds you had planted during the new moon and how they are doing now at the end of the lunar cycle and how you can celebrate your success and adjust the future for even greater success. Whether you do it thru meditation, shadow work, or divination like tarot; below is a list of prompts and topics to connect with the energy of the Virgo full moon.

  • What physical and mental spaces can I clean up and declutter?
  • Where in my life needs to be more organized?
  • What areas in my life am I being too self critical and why?
  • How can I care for my physical health better?
  • Where can I let go of unrealistic expectations in my life?
  • What areas of my life do I need to be more productive in?
  • How can I balance my emotion mind and logic mind?
  • Who in my life have I been too critical of and why?
  • How can I show others in my life more compassion?
  • How in my life can I be of more service to others around me?
  • What does self care look like for me and how will I make it a priority in my routine?
  • How do I feel when I make a mistake and why?
  • What did I accomplish this lunar cycle I can be proud of?

Ritual to Declutter and Reorganize your life with the Virgo full moon

I use this ritual all the time to help me declutter my to do list, refocus my priorities and to help me realize my expectations may be a little unrealistic and cause burn out and lower self esteem by setting myself up to fail. This ritual I created with a combination of therapy skills I learned to help manage my OCD which if you think about it, is very much the essence of Virgo energy as well.

All you will need is something to write with, a white candle and some post it notes.

How to perform

Get into sacred space. Light your candle and use the flame to focus your breath and your attention. As you are breathing in and out you want to focus on calming energy filling your space in a bright yellow color. Once you feel surrounded in that calming yellow energy you are going to let your mind focus on the things you have been avoiding or procrastinating getting done. Once you have things coming to your mind you will than take your pen and on one post it note at a time you will write a task out. Do this until no more tasks come to your mind. Once you feel all tasks have been emptied from your mind. Take a few minutes in sacred space to reflect on what you have written on your post its and decided if the amount may be too overwhelming to work with. If the answer is yes stay in sacred space and reflect until you know which tasks to eliminate now. Once you feel grounded in your number of tasks you can blow out the flame of your candle and release your calming yellow energy.

Now, take your post it’s and place them on your fridge or somewhere front and center in your home to remind you to complete them. And every time you complete one take the post it and burn it in gratitude and leave the ashes on your altar or release them to the Earth.

Bay Leaf Release Ritual for Virgo Full Moon

I love this simple release ritual especially during the Virgo moon. The items I usually always have on hand and it just fits well with the energy of Virgo. You get to have the element of earth represented in the bay leaves and with it being so simple it really pulls you out of the analytical energy of Virgo and simply let’s you release based on intuition.

All you will need are as many bay leaves as you want, a white candle and a pen.

How to perform

With your bay leaf, pen, and candle ready.
Get into sacred space, light your candle and visualize what or who it is you want to release. How does it feel to completely release the thing, event, or person? Once you feel that vision is grounded in your mind’s eye take your pen and write 1 word or a sentence of what you want to release
Once written burn the bay leaf in the candle flame while visualizing the energy completely releasing to the universe and the energetic chord dissipating

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Working With The Full Moon

The Sacred Meaning of the Moon

Over the centuries, the Moon has played a significant role in different cultures and traditions. The Moon moves quickly through the Zodiac, spending about two and a half days in each sign. It passes through all twelve signs in about 28 days. Some nights, at the time of the Full Moon, we admire its beauty and grandeur. Other nights, when it starts to fade, it becomes thin and inconspicuous, so different from the peak of its fullness and magical glory. Ever-changing lunar cycles remind us of the cyclical nature of life itself.

The Moon’s physical power is demonstrated by the phenomenon of ocean tides, which are generated by the moon’s gravitational pull. It’s a well-known fact that the human body consists of nearly 60% of water on average. It only proves that the moon has the power to influence our physical and mental states, just as it influences ocean tides. The profound connection between Moon cycles and human states of being has been observed throughout the centuries.

What is the Full moon?

The full moon simply put is when the moon is completely illuminated in the sky and it has reached it’s peak in this lunar cycle in the sky. When the moon is completely illuminated it’s time for all to reach full expression. The full moon is the most powerful and potent time of the entire lunar cycle. A full moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact opposite positions in the Zodiac (called an opposition). The full moon greatly affects humans and it’s no wonder it does because, there’s a scientific reason for this – we are made up of 60% or more of water.

The full moon is your time to harvest.

This phase is all about enjoying the full expression of life; being fully engaged. Let the light of the moon energize you. This is your time to harvest the seeds and intentions you had planted during the new moon phase. This is the time to also harvest new internal realizations. Take note of your epiphanies during this time. Harvest your external success. Enjoy the life you are creating. Celebrate your wins and successes as well.

The full moon is a time to emotionally release.

The full moon is also the perfect time for releasing things and letting go, truly letting go and radically
accepting things. With the illumination of the full moon at its brightest it is the perfect time to shed
light internally on the things no longer serving and obstacles that need to be fully released to the
power of the full moon as she begins to shed after this phase.

Full moons are related to endings, culminations, and emotional energy.

Full Moon Release Ritual

Full moon release ritual:

  1. Set up altar or sacred space
  2. Light an orange or white candle. If you work with oils I recommend to anoint it as well
  3. Write down the 3 biggest stressors, elements, habits, or people in your life you wish to
    let go of
  4. Place list under candle and light, let it finish burning completely while you meditate on
    the list

Full Moon Release Invocation

Full moon release invocation:

Full moon release invocation:
With this bright white moon
I choose to cleanse myself and release all the no longer serves me.
I release limiting beliefs
I release pain and suffering
I release fears, doubts and insecurities
I release obstacles on my path.
I release those relationships that no longer server my highest good
I release situations and energy that no longer serve me
I now choose to release it all and ask for it to be transmuted to healing

Full moon Release Spell

Items: black candle and smoky quartz
Actions: light candle and hold crystal

“ This full moon, I release that which no longer serves me. I release all pain and any blocks that
keep me from my connection to the divine. I also cut al chords connecting me to traumas I
endured in this life and in past lives. I start new today. Free of guilt, hurt, and self bondage that
keeps me from manifesting the life I desire”

The full moon symbolizes manifestation.

With the moon being fully illuminated it creates this portal to some of the most potent energy to connect to for us to manifest our desires and dream life. This portal creates a connection to our peak creative energy and the deep seated creative passions we all have within us. This creative energy and power is the energy we need to actually do and create the things and lifestyle we need to manifest what we desire. With the new moon phase being about planting the seeds of what you want to manifest, the full moon is about actually doing the work and moving the energy to make your manifesting happen.

Consider the Sign, Month, and Name of the Moon

Whatever ritual you decide upon, I also encourage you to look at the sign the moon will be in, as well as the month and season. All of these things can astrologically affect the moon’s energy and how YOU might feel it in your life and magical practice.

If you want some ideas on how to work with a full moon specifically check out some of my free moon ceremonies I have hosted thru Divination Academy at the link below.

Foundations for working with the full moon

There are so many ways to work with the full moon, below I will go through the basics of full moon workings but, remember each full moon will be slightly different and have different practices to add and different ways to do it based on which zodiac sign the full moon is currently in at the time.

Themes: gratitude, results, fruition, shedding, illumination, harvest, releasing,
Associated with the Yang energy.

Aligned activities

Below is a list of some of the many activities that you can do to make sure you are mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and magically aligned with the most potent moon phase to connect to in the lunar cycle.

  • charge your tools
  • Make moon water- To learn more how to do this check out my blog post about how to make moon water here; https://modgepodgemystic.com/moon-water-a-magical-staple/
  • Coven magic is very potent now
  • Make amends with others
  • Celebrate life
  • Release rituals
  • Cleansing
  • Scrying
  • Oracle reading
  • Grounding
  • Charge crystals
  • Clean physical space out
  • Connect to nature
  • Bathe in moonlight
  • Draw down the moon
  • Property protection magick
  • Shadow work
  • Set a full moon altar
  • Create a release/manifest box
  • Cord cutting
  • Money spells
  • * DO NOT SET NEW INTENTIONS THIS PHASE

Working with the Full Moon has many benefits and will enhance your spiritual practice in many ways.

The full moon allows you to bridge the connection between these energies and themes and bring them into your life while reminding you how important it is to have them in your life not only when the moon is illuminated in the sky for you to see.

  • Reflect
  • Release
  • Celebrate
  • Unwind
  • Desire
  • Expression
  • Forgive
  • Reveal
  • Connect
  • Illuminate

Full moon correspondences

What is a correspondence? It is an item, or representation of an energy, deity, archetype, planetary body or anything that you are connecting to or venerating. It is the thing you use to create your energetic link to whatever it is you are trying to connect to and harness.

  • Candle colors: blue, white, yellow, silver, orange
  • Herbs: jasmine, mugroot, lemon, balm, bay leaves, rosemary, lavender
  • Oils/ incense: rose, jasmine, tea tree, sandalwood, frankincense
  • Crystals: moonstone- power energy, abundance, good fortune
  • Labradite- intuition, astral travel, psychic abilities
  • Goldstone-creativity, abundance, remove blocks
  • Selenite-cleanse aura, mental clarity, psychic abilities

Full moon affirmations

We use affirmations to ground us in our desires and what we want to manifest. To connect us the divine energy of the universe and speak our vibrational energies into it and our soul to create alignment and bring our manifestation desires to fruition. Here are some to help connect you to the full moon manifestation energy daily.

  • I release what is no longer serving me
  • I open up to receive my highest goals
  • I surrender all fears and doubts
  • I release all lower vibrational frequencies
  • I allow life to flow through me and to me freely
  • All obstacles on my path are effortlessly removed with ease and grace
  • I release pain and suffering as a means to grow
  • I am open to receiving the abundance of opportunities that are flowing to me
  • I release all beliefs and relationships and people that no longer serve my highest goals
  • I let go off all that is not in alignment with my purpose
  • I allow myself to receive all that I desire
  • I activate the river joy that flows through me
  • I let go of toxic thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are not of service to my highest
    good

Full moon Gratitude Ritual

Since the full moon is brimming with energy and a time to harvest, it’s the perfect time to make sure you are showing gratitude for the things you have already harvested this lunar cycle and the things that have helped you get to the point you are at now. Gratitude is an act of celebration which is one theme the full moon is all about. Below you will find a simple gratitude ritual for the full moon in any sign.

Full moon gratitude ritual

  1. Write 3 things you are grateful for on paper
  2. Fill bowl with water and a piece of rose quartz
  3. Add paper to water
  4. Let it sit under full moon overnight
  5. The next morning allow paper to dry and either store on altar or return to the earth

Full moon and protection

The full moon has a veil thinning effect on the astral realms which can leaves us vulnerable to entities that may be unwanted or we simply are not used to being around. This makes the full moon a very potent time for protection and warding especially for your home, yourself, and your family members. For more information on basic protection check out my classes I previously taught with Divination Academy on the topic.

Full Moon Protection Ritual

1. get grounded

2 shield yourself. Expand your aura outwards

3. affirm: I am shielded from all harm, danger and attacks. I am protected by a luminous

impenetrable shield. So mote it be.

4. write and reflect on what to let go

5. self care and restore energy

Wrap up

However you choose to connect to the full moon just remember these few things, Check the sign the moon is in and tailor your rituals, spells, and manifestations to align with that energy. This time is all about harvesting your intentions you planted during the new moon, and celebrating all that life has to bring us including our successes through gratitude and releasing all that no longer serves us and our sacred contracts.

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The Magic of Self love and how to maintain it thru self care

With Valentine’s Day just behind us and love in the air and on almost everyone’s mind and hearts I want to talk about a type of love that I feel is overlooked, self love. Don’t get me wrong I am very guilty of this in my life and often. Having those moments, days, weeks, months, and even years where you simply don’t feel worthy, your self- esteem is low, your self confidence is down, and you just aren’t in love with yourself and who you are.

To be perfectly honest I am even writing this because I need this reminder and focus myself right now. Self-Love is something I have been struggling to remember in moments of doubt, hardship, and sadness lately. The unwanted affects that have been happening are affecting all areas of my life, my relationship with myself, my husband, my son and my students. I have not been the best most authentic version of myself as a mother, wife, teacher, and the divine individual that I am.

What is Self-Love?

Before, I talk more about the unwanted affects of not having self love as an intentional focus in your life let’s talk in depth about what Self- Love is. In it’s most simple and basic definition self-love is being in love with every part of yourself.

That’s it. Seems simple right? But, it’s much more than this because what does that even mean and look like to be in love with every part of yourself? What does that even feel like?

When I really think about those questions and dig deep at what it means to really truly love every part of yourself I get flooded with the amount of ideas and thoughts of what it truly means and at the same time I feel like I will only be able to articulate such a small amount of what this act and feeling truly encompasses.

Self love feels like placing a very high value on your own well being and happiness with oneself. It feels like knowing your worth and never settling for less. It feels like no guilt when taking the time to take care of your own needs and not sacrificing my well-being to please others or for others well being. It feels like deep acceptance with of every part of your body, soul, mind, and personality as divine being. It feels like confidence in your gifts, blessings and abilities and leaving no room for self doubt to flourish.

Self love looks like saying no to things that truly do not bring you joy, a sense of accomplishment and do not align with my soul purpose or values. It looks like setting boundaries with those you love and removing those that don’t respect them. It looks like being proud, confident and accepting of your body to take care of it and express yourself with it in the ways you want to. Self love looks like boldly living your soul purpose and doing what you love.

Above all else to genuinely and wholeheartedly love every part of yourself should come first. Self- Love is so powerful and honestly the best love you will ever have. And the most profound you will ever experience to further growth, healing, and transformation.

When you love who you are wholeheartedly your relationships will be healthier, your life will be happier and you will be aligned with your sacred contracts and soul purposes. If you are a parent you will connect with your child more and be able to be the emotional intelligent and loving parent you want to be. You be happier and it will shine through to those around you and you will choose to things and people that only bring you happiness.

When you have a strong relationship with self-love it shows yourself and others the standards in how we want to be treated. How we want others to treat us and how we treat ourselves. It helps us to decide our boundaries and have the ability and fortitude to maintain them.

Unwanted affects of low self love

When you have a weak relationship or outright lack one with self love like I touched on early you will definitely see some unwanted affects to you, your life, and your relationships. It may differ from person to person but, here are some ways it may affect you.

You may have an issue with self esteem and self worth which can lead to many issues when interacting with others like being a people pleaser, or always apologizing or pushing others away. You may be more emotionally imbalanced and moving from one emotion to the next including depression, explosive anger, and anxiety.

You may lack motivation to work towards your goals or to set some to begin with due to being indecisive. You may not be kind to yourself by taking care of your body physical and be uncomfortable in it which can lead to many different affects on your relationships with others and how your present yourself to the world.

The list of possible unwanted side affects could go on and differ for all the main point is if you don’t make this relationship a priority every area of your life will take a hit as well and you will be lacking connection to one of the most potent energies to foster a happy and healthy life and well being.

Your happiness and well-being are important; protect it by always valuing who you are and maintaining a secure relationship with self-love. As is with any relationship you have to do things to maintain it and communicate effectively with it. The things you do to main self love, those acts are called Self-care.

What is Self-care?

Self-care is the act of valuing, respecting, and caring for your mind, body, and soul. It is the act and doing things that allow you and help you to embrace your flaws, your strengths and abilities. Self care is doing things that make you feel more like yourself.

Self care is a deliberate choice to gift yourself with people, places, things, events, and opportunities that recharge our battery and foster our connection to self love. These activities do this by focusing on promoting whole health, body, mind, spirit, and soul. When all these areas of your life are aligned you foster such a deep connection of love to oneself and have the ability to connect to it much easier.

Types of Self-care

The key to self-care it should be something that you enjoy and not feel like an obligation.

Emotional self-care– Helps you get in touch with your feelings in a way that makes you feel centered and in wise mind with them. This is about becoming more in tune with out emotions. It’s about checking in with yourself, becoming more mindful of your triggers and thinking patterns while finding a way to work through it

Spiritual self-care- The act of spiritually looking after yourself cane be accomplished by simply doing tings that make your heart and soul flourish, whether this be by connecting to you soul, your magic, or a deity/ higher power/ source/ universe/multiverse. This doesn’t have to mean anything to do with a religion though. You are simply making sure what you are doing is nourishing your soul.

Physical self-care- This is all about looking after your body, doing what you need to stay healthy and connected to your physical self. Taking care of our bodies is a large component of self care, but it doesn’t have to include vigorous exercise routine.

Social self-care- Anything, or event that gets your around others. We are social creatures and we recharge when we are around others. This may look different depending on being an extrovert or introvert and your comfort level around others so make sure to honor that and keep that in mind.

Intellectual/ mental self-care- Anything that stimulates your mind, helps you working towards your goals, learning new things and expanding your understanding of the world around you.

Recreational self-care- Self care that encourages you to tap into your inner child and simply have fun

Financial Self-care- This type of self-care allows you to cultivate a healthy relationship with money so you can reduce stress

Environmental self care- This type of self-care allows you to find the right environment so you can truly thrive

As you just read above there are so many areas of your life where you can use self care you to nourish every aspect of yourself and when every aspect of yourself is nourished and you are happy how could you not be able to connect yourself and wholeheartedly exist in self love?

Ideas to practice each type of self care

Physical- go for a walk
drink some water
take a shower or bath
wear an outfit you feel confident in
Dance alone to favorite music


Emotional-Journal
therapy
express emotions
do shadow work


Spiritual- yoga
meditate
Prayer
connect to a deity
go to an altar

Financial- Make a budget
create goals


Recreational-do a hobby you love
make art
listen to music
Take a road trip


Social-Call a friend
Go see family
attend a social event
join a club


Intellectual-Study a topic you enjoy
watch a youtube video
put together a puzzle
read a book

No matter how you choose to practice self care whether it is from this list or something you choose on your own do it with intention to connect to and foster your self love in the most affective way for your life, happiness and to benefit your relationships. Keep an eye out for a blog post coming on magical and witchy ways to practice self care and self love!

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What is personal Development?

For me it’s anything that encompasses growth for yourself and your life.

It’s the intentional acts and/or reflection you are doing to grow as a person to better yourself, your soul, your community, your family, and your life.

This is what we do to be happy, feel whole, and to help us both uncover our sacred contracts and divine purposes, to live our life in accordance with them to fulfill them!

Which means this can encompass and cover ALOT of things!

From shadow work and reflection to taking care of your physical health, developing your own belief system, seeking mental health help and using the skills they teach you, to goal setting and more!

This topic is a deep seeded passion of mine!

Let me tell you why and why I feel I have so much to share on this topic!

In 2015 I got married to my amazing husband after being together for 4.5 years already, I turned 25 shortly after that and I completely broke.

Quarter life crisis

If anyone doesn’t think this is a thing. I promise you it is.

My depression and anxiety got so bad, I would curl up into a ball while shaking and crying on the floor in front of the door to our house because I had to leave it to go to work or the store for groceries.

It got to the point where, I called into work so many times, had used all my PTO, FMLA, Sick pay all of it that I was fired. All while I was lying to my husband about it.

Telling him I had been going to work and getting sent home early or if he went in after me that I had taken a half day of PTO that morning.

Because, I had no idea what was going on and how do you explain to others I literally can not get my body or mind to leave my house without a severe breakdown.

And being fired from my job only made things worse for me.

I shame spiraled hard and fast!

I had never failed like that before.

I am not going to lie it took much longer than I would have liked to get to the point where I could even begin to think about personal development and how to get there.

It took me an entire year of literally just being depressed and anxious and sitting in front of a tv to numb myself and a lot of weed.

But, than I hit this moment when I was shaking, crying, and about to throw up again from the anxiety of how much longer can I keep feeling like this? How much longer am I going to be able to do this mentally, emotionally and physically?

And if I won’t be able to do this much longer than what am I going to do? How am I going to get out of this space?

This moment sparked my personal development obsession and journey!

Where I spent the next 5 plus years gobbling up everything I could get my hands on, blogs, books, therapies, self help books, podcasts, youtube videos, learning how to bullet journal, taking workshops, retreats and classes, and so much more.

In that 5 plus years I succeeded and failed many times. Went thru CBT, DBT, and a handful of trauma therapies. Dealt with isolation, depression, anxiety and more. Was diagnosed with OCD, Bipolar 2 disorder, PTSD, a binge eating disorder, BPD, DID, Severe anxiety and depression.

I have done the work to no longer meet criteria for some of those and a few I have gotten to a very healthy and manageable level. That doesn’t mean I am cured and I still have days and moments and situations where I struggle.

So, let me help you do that too!

Let me be a support to you!

Let me be a guide to you!

Let me teach you what worked for me and help you sift thru the many ways you can work on your personal development in all areas of your life, like self care, physical health, mental health, and your own personal belief systems and values!

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Being a mom caused me to forget being a wife and caused lost connection in my marriage

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner I know many of us are thinking about love, romance, and our relationships. Especially, those of us in marriages or committed relationships/partnerships.

I know for me during this time of year our sex life usually sees an increase or a change in style and I end up reflecting a lot on what has been going on recently and the last year of my marriage.

For me this time of year is a romance/ relationship reset. I usually am so focused the month of January on New year goal setting and planning that is more focused on myself, my family as whole, and finances etc. With all the holidays focused on connection, romance and renewal this time of year for me it makes so much sense this happens.

This year was different than all the rest.

This past year in particular had been one of the most difficult and challenging years my husband and I have had in the 13 years we have been together.

And when I say difficult; we both had many moments where we for the first didn’t know if we would actually make it and stay together. There were more fights and tears in this one year than we had experienced in the entire 12 before this. The “D” word divorce was even said many times this past year in our home.

For many reasons this year was challenging; life struggles, mental health, still adjusting to no longer being just the two of us, and financial struggles.

But, the biggest reason our connection was just off.

We were miscommunicating all the time.

We both thought the other one was attacking the other one with our words often when the other one had no intention of doing so.

Our sex life had some hiccups and slowed down for the first time, not even having our son had done this.

We both were isolating ourselves from the other one when we could and we were no longer doing things together for connection and fun. We would do things in the same room or home but, not together.

Our fights and disagreements had gotten to the point we were now saying personal attacks towards each other and keeping a tally of rights and wrongs and nothing was ever getting fully discussed or worked thru.

We both felt like we weren’t being heard and that the other was not putting in effort to mend the repairs and move our relationship forward in a more positive direction and frankly for it just to survive.

And we wanted it to survive.

Our marriage and our connection with each other has and will always be something deeply sacred to us. And even though we both had thrown out in frustration and hurt thru tears that we should separate and maybe we weren’t meant for each other anymore and had grown apart.

We both wanted desperately to get to the core of what was going on and find the effective way to navigate it. I don’t know how many times we had conversations about what the issue was, how we were going to work on it together, and what we both needed. We would end up with us just hitting another wall and both of us in tears wondering how we could have gotten here again.

Than one day recently something happened that caused me to reflect.

My little family was playing around on our bed, cuddling, laughing, tickling and by the end of it I had ended up laying across my husband in a cuddling way almost draped on him. And the comment he made next both rocked me and caused me to have to go and reflect on so much.

He said he had forgotten what it felt like to have me laying on top of him like that and it felt unfamiliar now.

Like, I said I was rocked and taken back. I was also sad and bewildered that we had gotten so far disconnected from each other. My husband didn’t recognize a feeling that used to be a very common part of our lives.

I took those emotions and thoughts and really sat with them and reflected on what this really truly means and how it had effected us. And if this could be apart of why we were struggling so much with what felt like no progress.

What came to me was obvious and surprising I had missed it.

The first thing I realized was it was true and how had I missed it? We had not cuddled like that in so long. I could try and blame it on many things; like we are a family who co-sleeps and even at almost 3 years old our son is still in our bed every night. Or that for a year I was working overnights and not even in bed 4 nights a week.

But, as I kept reflecting I knew those things couldn’t be blamed for it because, we could have added it to part of our day at others times and didn’t. So, why didn’t we?

As I was still working on figuring that out, I started to wonder were there other simple things we were not doing anymore in our marriage? And if so, how was that affecting us and how did we let those little things slip away ?

I realized quickly there were other little things we either had stopped completely, or they were not happening as often as typical for us. And even at times there were things that would only happen if we were not fighting.

We were not kissing each other as often or long. Or saying I love you. And pet names weren’t happening as often.

And that helped me realize how we got disconnected.

Our pet names had become mom and dad since we had become parents. We heard those two names from one another more than anything else.

So, they had become solely who we were. We had become just mom and dad now. We were no longer individuals let alone husband and wife. And I knew that I really had disappeared into that part of my identity personally.

Being a mom had become my priority.

For so many moms especially first time moms this is something common to happen. You all of sudden have this tiny little human that is depending on you for absolutely everything.

You are in a state of mind of overwhelm all the time as you try and learn how to both care for your new child and learn who you actually are as a mother.

And let’s not forget the constant physical overstimulation. Which by the way wasn’t even part of my every day vocabulary until I was A mother.

On top of that I have abuse, neglect, and childhood trauma that colors every parenting decision I make especially right in the beginning. I was desperate to the point of it being paralyzing at times to be break generational patterns in my family. The mindset that I am who I am in spite of my parents and upbringing could definitely be used to describe myself and my parenting.

With all this combined, I had become solely focused on being a mom

To the point where I wouldn’t even leave my son. He is almost 3 now as I write this and to this day no one has baby sat him for more than one hour ( 1 time). It took me over a year and half to even leave him alone with his dad.

I spent all day long filling every single moment with learning, developing and creating a healthy attachment with my son and my husband as a family unit.

And I had completely lost sight of not only myself and this new version of myself but, I had lost sight of my role as a wife separate from being a family. And how important daily intentions and small little things helped foster that connection.

I had forgotten how we had been just the two of us for a decade prior.

Which made my husband feel like I was forgetting him on a daily basis. And if you feel forgotten how are you suppose to stay connected to one another?

So how was I going to let my husband know that he was not forgotten and how was I going to make that connection an intentional priority each day.

By kissing randomly, saying I love you just because, making physical contact randomly when you can like cuddling during tv, talking the time each day to check in with each other as partners and not at parents, and more.

Once I realized this what did I do?

I took what I had realized and I made it my main goal to be very intentional with creating those small moments of intentional connection with my husband completely separate from my son and as a family unit.

When he was sleeping in the morning while I was up, I would go in and kiss him periodically and whisper I love him so he could start his day in love and connection every morning when he woke up. I would also make sure to stop and kiss him for 30-60 seconds throughout the day to continue to foster that connection.

I was intentional with noticing when we were alone together and made the choice to be mindful and fully present to simply just be in same space with each other and in each other’s energies instead of going to do on of the many things my brain had on it’s to do list or to go check on my son.

At the end of the day, I started checking in with him to see if there was anything I could have done differently that day to foster connection between us or if there was anything he needed from me to do that.

The difference this made and how quickly suprised me!

Seriously, in about 4-6 weeks our communication started to improve and we were fighting less often. Not personally attacking each other and taking the time to hear each other an apologize when we needed to.

I had some big issues I was working thru with my husband that suddenly were easier to radically accept. ( I will leave the details for another article. )

Our sex life improved in so many ways and now looks so different in the most liberating and cosmic ways.

The feelings of isolation were less.

The feeling unheard and misunderstood by each other was being expressed less and less as well.

We had begun to feel like a team again and like this wasn’t possibly the end of our time together in this life.

The small moments and intentions had rekindled our connection.

They had given us exactly what we needed to reset our relationship and commit to be able to keep working through this patch of growth TOGEHER IN THE SAME DIRECTION!

Are we out of the patch completely? NO. Which is why we are committed to remembering we learned and making those small moments of intentional connection happen each and every day where we are just husband and wife and not mom and dad.

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Chiron who is he and how can he help us heal

Who is Chiron?

In Greek Mythology, it was Chiron who taught humanity the constellations. That’s huge. Chiron is our celestial teacher. In Greek mythology, Chiron is a Centaur: half man, half horse. While most Centaurs were considered menacing, Chiron was “famous for his wisdom and knowledge of medicine.” 

Chiron is a centaur, and the myth goes that Chiron was abandoned at birth and left to fend for himself. It was through this wound of abandonment and difficult upbringing that he was able to rise up and turn its wounds into powerful portals of healing.

Chiron won’t heal your suffering. He will, however, show you where it is and walk you down the path to your own realization. Kind of like with Saturn, the great teacher, you have to do the work. 

Chiron’s role as the “wounded healer” is a testament to the transformative power of pain. Just as Chiron couldn’t heal his own wound but used his suffering to heal others, we are called to transform our deepest hurts into our greatest strengths. It’s like turning lead into gold in the alchemical process of personal growth.

Chiron the asteroid

Chiron is not technically a planet but an asteroid that orbits between Saturn and Uranus. Even though Chiron is not a planet, in astrology, it is still a significant cosmic energy to work with.

Some astrologers consider Chiron a celestial enigma. This portrays a sense of the mystical. Mystics were born of suffering. Their lives were not easy. It was only through the lessons of the challenges they faced that they obtained certain supernatural abilities: gifts. 

The position of Chiron between Saturn and Uranus is also significant to understanding the energy it brings.

Saturn is a very grounded, rooted energy, whereas Uranus is considered a planet of a higher vibration. Uranus’ energy can also bring about awakenings and the rise of kundalini energy.

Chiron can act as a bridge between these two states of being and is sometimes referred to as the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow bridge signifies the linking between one state of consciousness

Chiron the Myth

Chiron is a centaur; a half man and half horse entity. While the centaurs are traced to King Ixion and nymph Nephele, Chiron was the son of Cronos and the Oceanid Philyra. His parentage makes him a brother to the Olympian gods and puts him above other centaurs.

 According to the myth, Cronus had turned himself into a horse to escape his jealous wife, Rhea, and seduced Philyra. From this union, Chiron was born – a centaur, half-horse, half-human.

His parentage significantly influenced his personality and life. Unlike other centaurs who were often depicted as wild, lustful, and chaotic, Chiron was wise, civilized, and kind.

Chiron gained the knowledge and wisdom he later shared with many famous mythological characters from Apollo. After Chiron’s mother abandoned him as a child, Apollo found, adopted and educated him. Thus, Chiron’s skills resemble those of the god of prophecy. Among his areas of expertise, other than the mentioned ability to prophesize, were other domains of Apollo – music, medicine and hunting. According to some accounts Artemis also had a say in his education. Namely, in his archery and hunting skills.

Chiron took his knowledge of medicinal herbs to such a masterful level that he later became a teacher of the famous physician of Greek mythology – the son of Apollo, Asclepius. But the list of famous heroes tutored by Chiron is much longer than that. He is credited for teaching Achilles, Jason, Heracles, Theseus and Peleus.

As a son of Cronus, Chiron was blessed with immortality. And as a great healer, he was in a favourable position. But none of those two things saved him from his fate. One day he found himself in the middle of a fight between angered centaurs and Heracles – his old student. An arrow not meant for him flew from Heracles’s bow and landed in Chiron’s knee.Full of guilt and concern, Heracles took out the arrow and Chiron himself applied medicine to the wound. But the arrow was poisoned and so it caused the centaur great pain. Eventually, the pain became unbearable and Chiron agreed to trade his immortal life for the relief of death. He arranged to give away his immortality to Prometheus and passed away. Some versions of the myth claim that it wasn’t the pain but the long life he already lived that made him wish for death.

How to work with Chiron

When Chiron is is active and influencing the collective it is the perfect time to focus on your inner healing and transformation. And I mean it is time to really focus and go deep. This is the time to look at those things you know are there but, have still been putting of and avoiding to work thru and deal with. Chiron is here to guide you thru that work and on to the path you were meant to walk. Chiron will guide you with wisdom thru the portal of pain and your deepest wounds and out into the wide open expansive space of your sacred purpose and contract.

How you do this with him is thru very intentional shadow work. There are many ways to do this whether you do it thru, auto scripting to receive messages, journaling, getting yourself into therapy, divination, or entering a meditative state while working thru specific shadow prompts for the wounds you are trying to heal and transform into purpose and power.

Let Chiron guide you thru the portal of pain by working thru your wounds to transform yourself and enter your sacred purpose to better serve the collective as Chiron did.

If you need to know more about how to do shadow work you can check out my resource section of the website for a study guide and class I have already done on shadow work and keep an eye out for blog posts to come!

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Who Am I as a Witch and what is my path

Before we get into any of the extensive topics and knowledge I have to share with you on magic, witchcraft, paganism, esoteric studies, occultism, ancient religions and cultures and more.

If you want to know more about the journey I had to get to here you can read about it here in a previous blog post. https://modgepodgemystic.com/how-i-found-my-magical-spiritual-path/

I know right away you are going to say, whoa she is young how can she be teaching anyone.

First check out my about me page, or my review page and go and vet me. I have many students who love learning from me and my perspective, I am very detailed, I know MANY paths, and I teach even things I do not personally agree with so my students can truly pick their own path. I also am teaching alongside amazing, knowledgeable and credible professors as well at Divination Academy.

Second go and watch any of my classes and/or rituals on youtube and read any of my study guides!

They are FREE to all and I encourage you to watch every one on by every professor there but, I have many there for you to use as a resource and to check out who I am!

Now, that we got that out of the way!

Who am I as a practitioner?

I have been a solitary grey magic practitioner for 15 + years.

First and foremost, I consider myself a mystic and seeker of all knowledge. I study from many different sources, paths, pantheons, religions, cultures, teachers and practices. Two of my main patron deities were keepers of the schools of mysteries ( hades & Persephone).

And I am dedicated to becoming one with the multiverse through all esoteric and occult knowledge. I am dedicated to the restoration and re-enchantment of magic into this realm, our lives, and society.

I have practiced and studied from many different teachers and masters in areas such as shamanism, magic(k), witchcraft, religion and spiritual practices.

I focus my studies on being as accurate to the culture and religion as possible throughout history and representing things across many different paths and practices. I study and create my path from the mix of all the things I study thru discernment, intuition, and guidance.

I am a grey magic practitioner.

Which means I work with both dark and light energy and strive to maintain constant duality in my practice and life. I live and thrive in the grey.

I do not view things in the terms of “good” vs “evil” I view everything as energy and as either wanted or unwanted energy. What one person may view as good and evil is subjective to each and everyone of us.

I believe in sacred contracts, and have discovered many of mine and strive to live in a way to fulfill it this lifetime. I’ve done a lot of past live regression and work and continue to do more to this day to unlock more of my past lives and knowledge I have gained through each incarnation. I do this through many way like currently working with a mentor on past life regression therapy, Ive done Akashic record work, studying and worked with auto writing, and astral travel and work as well.

I work with all the dark goddesses and have the ability to channel and invoke deities. I Love the connections I have with many deities and the energy they allow me access to connect to through a different perspective but, I also understand I myself am a goddess and divine being in my own right as well.

My magic is very folk, ceremonial, energy based and elemental based with some chaos magic mixed in and some others. I really do dabble in large variety.

I write every single prayer, spell, invocation, and circle casting personally I use.

I work with many divination tools and practices such as all forms of scrying, tarot, runes, etc.

I work with deity energy, archetype energy, chakras, the collective uncounscious, all forms of nature, other entities such as demons, the fae, and all supernatural entities.

I focus heavily on moon energy in practice and in my daily life and home.

My knowledge is extensive across many practices, topics and paths.

My energy and magick is naturally very healing, purifying and cleansing and I love to provide that to others as it is a key part to my soul contract.

I cant wait to teach you on so many topics from basics in magic(k), to different pagan religions, different paths, and how to fulfill your responsibility of duality as a magic(k) practitioner and pagan.

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Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day; how to celebrate both as a Pagan and/or Witch

It’s February the month all about love, romance, sex, and fertility and we have two major holidays that focus on that for us to celebrate. Most people know about one of them; Valentine’s Day but, do you know where that holiday originates from? Lupercalia, an Ancient Roman festival for fertility and purification. Some even call it the Pagan Valentine’s Day. So, if you don’t want to get sucked into all the commercialism and Christianized holiday plus have a lot more fun, Lupercalia is the holiday for you!

In this post I will walk you thru both holidays, how to connect to them, and the give you some ways to celebrate them in your life!

So, What is Lupercalia?

Lupercalia is an ancient Roman festival of fertility and purification. It’s celebrated from February 14th to the 15th and predates Valentine’s Day by centuries! Every year, the ancient Romans would perform rituals and then throw parties all in the name of purification. To purify the city of Rome on this festival guaranteed a good crop, plenty of pregnant ladies, and overall good health and happy people for the whole city.

No one is really sure how far back this Roman festival really goes, but some have traced it back to the 6th century BC. And others date it back to long before Rome was a power. It is said to have been a Shepard’s festival that was brought to Rome by Romulus and Remus.

The legend of Romulus and Remus; the myth behind Lupercalia

The legend has it that the Roman king, King Amulius, orders his twin nephews be killed for their mother’s broken vow of celibacy. They were to be throw in the Tiber River.

Instead of just being tossed in- they were placed in a basket by a servant. The river-god is said to have carried the basket down river where it got caught in the branches of a wild fig tree. The twins were rescued by a she-wolf in a den at the base of Palatine Hill.

Later, the twins were adopted by a Shepard and his wife and learned the shepherds’ trade. After killing their uncle- King Amulius, they found the den of the she-wolf that raise them and name is Lupercal.     Lupercal was named after the Roman fertility god Lupercus.

Lupercalia is the celebration to honor both the God and the she-wolf that raised them.

In addition to being linked to the wolf, Lupercalia was a “breastfeeding” festival and tied to the founders of Rome – Romulus and Remus and the she wolf who nursed them.

So, how did they celebrate Lupercalia?

Ritual sacrifice was completed by the Roman’s to start off this festival. There was a sacrifice of a goat and a dog. The goat for fertility and the dog was most likely to honor the she-wolf. The Roman priests, called Luperci, would sacrifice the goat and the dog, smear the blood on the foreheads of 2 youths and as they wiped it away with a piece of milk-soaked wool, the youths were required to laugh. After the Ritual Sacrifice, came the feast.

When the feasting was over, the skin of the goat would be cut into strips or thongs (called februa). The men would them run around naked, or nearly naked, whipping women with the thongs. A lot of women welcomed the lashes as they believed it to be a fertility consecration. Getting whipped was supposed to make your fertile, so the more whippings, the more fertile. It was even said by visitors from other cities that the women would “bare” their skin and welcome the whippings. This was a symbolic gesture of purification of the men and a symbolic purification of the land.

During the Lupercalia festival, men chose women’s names from a jar and would be coupled with them for the festival. Some sources reference this as the lottery of Lupercalia. This festival was all about fertility and sex so all sorts of debauchery happened. Sometimes, they would even stay together until the next year’s festival, or even get married.

It is important to note this practice was added to the history of the celebration in 1756, in Alban Butler’s Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints (Vol. 2, s.v. February XIV, St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr).

Over time, the sexuality of the festival was lost until it was fully clothed men whipping women’s hands. BORING!

How did Lupercalia become Valentine’s day?

Saint Valentine was said to be a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned and beheaded by Roman Emperor Claudius II for assisting persecuted Christians and secretly marrying Christian couples in love. He even tired converting Claudius to Christianity while he was imprisoned. He was beheaded on February 14, which later became known as Valentine’s Day.  

I know you are thinking, okay so how does this become Valentine’s day, well we all know the Catholic church and it doesn’t matter how long it takes they find a reason Christianize a holiday.

Well, after the Catholic church declared Valentine a saint, a pope in 494 CE, Pope Gelasius I eliminated the pagan festival of Lupercalia. He decided that February 14 would be the day to celebrate Saint Valentine, who had become known as the patron of lovers. February 14 fell smack dab in the middle of the Lupercalia festival that typically happened somewhere between February 13-15.

This is up for debate still though; as the Valentine’s Day celebration can only be traced as far back as the Middle Ages, well after Pope Gelasius and Saint Valentine. Some Christians today even choose not to celebrate Valentine’s Day because it is based off of the pagan festival of Lupercalia.

Correspondences for Lupercalia

First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or the energy of celebration/ holiday. Below is a list you can use

  • The color white, which symbolizes the milk with which they would soak the wool is before wiping the blood from their heads. It also symbolizes new life and protection.
  • the color red, which symbolizes the blood of the ritual sacrifice of the goat and the dog.
  • Phallic symbols- these can include athames and wands.
  • Wolf images or goat images

Correspondences for Valentine’s Day

  • Symbols- Hearts, doves, birds, cupid
  • deities- Venus, Aphrodite, Eros, Dionysus, bachas, any deity of love, fertility and sex
  • herb/flowers- roses, lavender, basil, cinnamon
  • colors- pink, red, white
  • crystals/stones- rose quartz, garnet, ruby, green aventurine, red jasper, rhodochrosite
  • tools- candles
  • foods- strawberries, avocado, cherry, chocolate

How to celebrate Lupercalia

Cleansing & Purging
Lupercalia is in the month of February, and it was also called dies Februatus by the ancient Romans. Februatus translates to “purge”. Therefore, if you don’t want to celebrate the pagan Valentine’s Day with love-making and feasting, make it a day of cleansing and purging. Get rid of what no longer serves you in the physical. Including clutter in your space (think junky closets, pantries, fridge, etc.) and then cleanse the negative vibrations via smoke-cleansing.

In addition, purging yourself of negative thoughts and habits and cleansing your aura via a hot ritual bath.

Feast on the Pagan Valentine’s Day!
Whether you have a love interest or not, Lupercalia is about celebrating what we have on this earthly plane. It’s the perfect day to throw a feast! Choose foods that are traditional Roman or Italian, red sauces, wine, and other red foods. Aphrodisiacs are appropriate if you are getting romantic with the meal including strawberries, oysters, chocolate, and dairy.

Drink Wine
The Romans were all about their wine. If you want to do Lupercalia right, you gotta drink the wine, folks! Red is best to represent love and passion. Be sure to make a toast to the ancient Romans and a fertile life before drinking the wine. Clink your glasses together to scare off the bad spirits lurking in the wine. Setting up an altar for the god of wine Dionysus or Bacchus is also appropriate.

Fertility Rituals
Trying to conceive? Or maybe you have no desire for a baby at all. Either way, fertility isn’t just about conceiving children. It also relates to prosperity and growth of nearly any other goal in life: career success, your passions like art, etc. Lupercalia is a powerful day to do fertility spells and rituals of any kind!

Wear Red and White as a rebellion to Valentine’s day

Instead of wearing red and white to connect to valentines day you can wear it to connect to Lupercalia. You were red to represent the blood of sacrifice and the white of milk of the she wolf and goddess Rumina.

Creative Endeavors on Lupercalia
Since Lupercalia is a fertile time, creativity is given a boost in different aspects. Have you been waiting for the right time to start a new project? To learn a new skill? Engage in some sort of arts and crafts to celebrate Lupercalia and the inspiration will not flow short and especially this year with the Aquarius moon and entering the year of the wood dragon in the Chinese zodiac this time is teeming with creative energy!

Have sex!
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. OR when it’s Lupercalia, do as the Romans do. And have sex! You can even add some sex and lust magic to spice it up a bit!

How to celebrate Valentines day

Share a meal with your loved ones. Valentine’s day is about connection to others whether it be romantic love, or your family. So, take this time to connect with them through a delicious meal and you can make sure to have fruits like strawberries, passion fruit, cherries and more to connect to the energy of love.

Create a self love altar or do a self love ritual. Valentine’s day is all about the energy of love and connection and that doesn’t have to be to anyone else that can be all about yourself and increasing your love of self. You can use this as a reminder that you are worthy of love, worth celebrating, and create a sacred space to connect to yourself.

Do a beauty or glamor ritual. This type of magic can help you feel more desirable, have a higher level of self confidence, and turn up your sexual passion with heightened self esteem and valentines day is a perfect time to cast this with the heightened connection to Aphrodite who is great to use during these type of workings

Love spells to attract or enhance your love life. Since, Valentine’s is all about love, romance, and connection why not use this time to cast a love spell or do any type of love spell work like a spell jar or honey jar? This time will enhance any of these type of spells whether you are looking to attract to new love to your life or rekindle it in your current relationship.

Work with Deities Aphrodite or Venus. With Valentine’s day being all about love and romance what better deities to work with on all fronts whether its self love or with a partner than Aphrodite and venus? These two are known for beauty, love, fertility and more. You can connect to them through any attracting love spells, beauty spells, work with your partner, and adding offerings to them to your altar during this time.

Use sex magic to enhance your life or manifestation work. Valentines is a great time to do sex magic with yourself or your partner. What are sex magic spells and lust spells? Sex spells are magical rituals ready to help you boost your sex life, creating a unique luxurious burning desire between you and your partner. These spells and rituals are a great tool if you feel any lack of confidence, any distance between you and your loved one but, most of all, to have the best sex of your life! They are also a great tool for manifestation but, I feel for this holiday focus on the fun this magic can add to your life!

If you want to learn more about sex magic and lust magic check out the resource section of the site here for my study guide on two classes ( 4 hours total) I have already taught on this topic and keep an eye out for some blog posts to come! Sex magic is my jam and I have a lot I can teach on this topic

Lupercalia/ Valentines day Spell

Celebrate the season of love with a simple and effective Lupercalia or Valentine’s Day love spell! This spell is designed to help you attract, give thanks for, and honor your current and potential loves. Whether you’re looking for a spark in an existing relationship, or wanting to draw new love into your life, this ancient ritual will infuse all forms of attraction with passion and romance.

Whether you are single or in a committed relationship, this is the perfect opportunity to manifest more love into your life. A little bit of magic can take us far – so why not cast this pleasant celebratory spell? You might just see some amazing results!

Materials

  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Damiana
  • Rose petals
  • Honey
  • Empty jar
  • Rose quartz
  • Amethyst
  • Fire safe bowl
  • Red candle
  • Mirror
  • Piece of paper
  • Red ink pen

Instructions

  • Light the red candle and place it near the fire safe bowl.
  • Take the cinnamon, ginger, damiana, and rose petals and mix them in the bowl.
  • Hold the ingredients in your hands and feel the energy flowing through you. Visualize yourself surrounded by love and positivity.
  • Light the ingredients with the candle flame, and while they’re burning, write down your love intentions on the piece of paper with the red ink pen.
  • Take the jar and add the burning ingredients and honey to it.
  • Place the rose quartz and amethyst into the jar and seal it with the lid.
  • Hold the jar in front of the mirror and say the following incantation with conviction: “By the power of love and the energies of Lupercalia, I call upon the universe to bring love and positivity into my life.”
  • Put the jar in a safe place and let the spell work its magic.

Whether you choose to celebrate Valentine’s day or Lupercalia or even both just remember these holidays are all about fertility, purification, sex, and love. So, take the time to connect to those however fits into your path and don’t forget to have fun with it and enjoy it!

If you want more ideas on how to incorporate these two holidays into your practice don’t forget to check you my facebook page, instagram, and pinterest for more ideas! Find me by searching modgepodgemystic.com!