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Celebrate the Chinese new year with the wood snake

The 2025 Chinese new year celebrated alongside the lunar new year falls on January 29th . Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, Chinese New Year celebrates looking to the future for new beginnings with themes of happiness, health family, and good fortune. This Chinese new year marks the arrival of the Wood Snake, a rare and meaningful combination that appears only once every 60 years. This year of the Snake signifies introspection, subtle power, and transformative growth. It embodies a quiet yet potent and sometimes lethal energy capable of illuminating hidden paths and fostering deep emotional and spiritual understanding. Its strategic, resourceful nature makes it an excellent year for long-term growth. Come with me and slither through this blogpost to learn how to welcome the lunar new year and coil up with the energy that it holds.

First, what is the Chinese new year

Of all the traditional Chinese festivals, the new Year was perhaps the most elaborate, colorful, and important. This was a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other and themselves on having passed through another year, a time to finish out the old, and to welcome in the new year.

The Chinese New Year is a festive celebration at the beginning of the Chinese calendar new year. It has a long and exciting history, and there are many wonderful traditions, meals, and activities to be enjoyed during the holiday. It is also a chance for families to clean their homes and set forth their intentions for the new year. 

The Chinese New year can also be called by other names as well, like the spring festival due to it’s timing with the changing of the seasons and it ushering in spring. It also known as the lunar new year since it starts on a new moon and is based on the lunar calendar.

When is the Chinese new year celebrated?

The Chinese New year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar. The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th. This year it falls on January 29th 2025. Chinese New Year, just like the Western new Year, signifies turning over a new leaf and starting something new. Socially, it is a time for family reunions, and for visiting friends and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese holiday, stresses the importance of family ties and bonds.

 Traditionally, the holiday lasts sixteen days. The first week is considered a public holiday, and the sixteen days are split into different parts of the celebration. For example, the Lantern Festival is generally hosted on the 15th day, and is one of the most looked-forward-to events. The Chinese New Year is teeming with unique traditions and mythologies. The celebrations includes beautiful outfits, delicious food, and lots of colorful decorations and entertainment. Each region of China and Chinese cultures around the world have their own unique traditions and ways of encouraging hope, prosperity, and positivity for the new year. 

History of the Chinese New Year

The history of Chinese New Year dates back over 3,500 years. Each unique religion and culture around China has its own mythology and tradition related to the Chinese New Year, but most stories agree that it has to do with appeasing ancient deities.

One of the most popular myths associated with the celebrations of the near has to do with a mythical beast. Nian, a mythical beast, would appear during the Spring Festival and eat the villagers every single year. Than one year an old man appeared in the village and hung red paper lanterns and decorations, and set off fireworks to scare him away. When the villagers returned to the town, they saw that Nian had not destroyed it, as in previous years. Red decorations and clothing became associated with the holiday, and thus, the tradition of setting off fireworks for the holiday evolved, as well.

Much of the history is also rooted in praying to the gods for a good harvest since Chinese culture is deeply rooted in agriculture.

Common traditions for the Chinese new year

Sweeping of the Grounds

Preparations for the Chinese New Year in old China started well in advance of the New Year’s Day. The 20th of the Twelfth Moon was set aside for the annual housecleaning, or the sweeping of the grounds Every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned in preparation for the new year. Spring couplets written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper, were put on the walls or on the sides of the gate-ways. These couplets, short poems written in Classical Chinese, were expressions of good wishes for the family in the coming year. In addition, symbolic flowers and fruits were used to decorate the house, and colorful new year pictures (NIAN HUA) were placed on the walls (for more descriptions of the symbolism of the flowers and fruits.

Family Celebration

On the last day of the old year, everyone was busy either in preparing food for the next two days, or in going to the barbers and getting tidied up for the New Year’s Day. Tradition stipulated that all food be pre-pared before the New Year’s Day, so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, could be put away to avoid cutting the “luck” of the New Year. The kitchen and well were not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year.

The New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations were strictly family affairs. All members of the family would gather for the important family meal on the evening of the New year’s Eve. Even if a family member could not attend, an empty seat would be kept to symbolize that person’s presence at the banquet. At midnight following the banquet, the younger members of the family would bow and pay their respects to their parents and elders.

Lai-See

On New Year’s Day, the children were given Red Lai-see envelopes , good luck money wrapped in little red envelopes. On New Year’s day, everyone had on new clothes, and would put on his best behavior. It was considered improper to tell a lie, raise one’s voice, use indecent language, or break anything on the first day of the year. Starting from the second day, people began going out to visit friends and relatives, taking with them gifts and Lai-See for the children. Visitors would be greeted with traditional New year delicacies, such as melon seeds, flowers, fruits, tray of togetherness, and NIANGAO, New Year cakes.

There are a few guidelines for the money in red Lai-see envelopes. Only clean, unwrinkled bills should be put in red envelopes; it’s considered in poor taste to include old or wrinkled bills. Red Lai-see envelopes should contain even amounts of money and certain numbers are considered more auspicious than others. The amount of money shouldn’t have the number four in it (eg. 4, 40, 44, etc), because the word for “four” sounds like the word for “death” and is considered unlucky. However, it’s considered lucky to have amounts of money with the number eight in it, because the word for “eight” sounds like the word meaning “to prosper”.

Firecrackers Are Set Off
At the beginning of the legend, firecrackers were used to scare away the monster Nian from the village in order to protect the villagers. Many of the Chinese legends tell of using fireworks to scare away”evil” spirits and to prevent poor luck in the new year.

In modern times, fireworks are used to both symbolize the ancient tradition and also to evoke a celebratory mood. All of the firecrackers set off during the Chinese New Year celebration are red, to invite all the good luck. It is also a way to express happiness and joy. In fact, Chinese New Year is the event with the greatest number of fireworks released every year—upwards of a billion!

Lion dance

The lion dance is another one of the Chinese New Year symbols that originated from the story of Nian. Except in this version of the story, instead one one man scaring away the monstrous Nian, the whole village came together to bang on pots to make noise, and to create a large lion that would scare Nian away. The Chinese New Year lion dance honors this story by having people play percussive instruments (drums symbols and gongs) while two people perform a dance in an elaborate lion costume. One person acts as the head of the lion, and the other person acts as the body, performing acrobatic movements to mirror way a lion would move in time with the music. The dance begins with the lion asleep. Once he is woken up by the instruments, the lion shakes, gets up and beings playing.

He then becomes hungry and begins to search for food. This hunt for food is called “plucking the greens”, during which he searches high and low to retrieve auspicious foods like lettuce and mandarin oranges which are attached to red envelopes. He eats the lettuce and oranges and “spits out” good fortune to everyone nearby, keeping the red envelopes for the dancers. The lion dance is thought to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity and good fortune to everyone nearby, especially those who catch the food that the lion “spit out”

Dragon dance

Like the lion dance, the dragon dance is another one of the Chinese New Year symbols that ushers in prosperity and good fortune for the coming year, and wards off evil spirits. While the dragon dance also involves music and movement the two dances are very different. Instead of using two people like the lion dance, the dragon dance uses many people. The size of the dragon dances vary, but usually have over 9 people.

Each person is holding a pole which is supporting part of a serpent-like dragon body. One person stands in front of the dragon, holding a ball attached to pole which represents a “Pearl of Wisdom”. The person holding the pearl uses it to lead the dragon around on a quest for wisdom, knowledge and truth. The people puppeteering the dragon body have to follow the pearl, in time with the percussive elements of the music.

Lucky Chinese New Year foods

Gathering with family to share a meal and leaving food offerings for ancestors are important traditions during the Spring Festival. All of the foods chosen are Chinese New Year symbols that each have a special meaning that corresponds with a wish for the new year.

  • One important Chinese New Year foods you’re bound to see is fish. The word for “fish” sounds like the word for “surplus” so whole fish are eaten to usher in abundance in food and wealth for the coming year. In addition to being served whole, images of fish are also used as decorations to attract abundance.
  • The shape of dumplings (also called jiaozi) resemble the yuanbao, which was a type of ancient currency made from ingot (silver, gold or other metal). Eating dumplings is thought to attract wealth. The more you eat, the wealthier you are believed to become.
  • Tang yuan is a traditional Chinese New Year dessert which is served during the Lantern Festival consisting of sweet rice balls with a black sesame filling. Their name and round shape signify family unity and togetherness.
  • Tangerines and oranges on Chinese New Year are believed to bring luck and wealth for the coming year because the word for “tangerine” sounds like the word for “luck”. The golden color of oranges and tangerines also correlates to wealth.
  • Another golden food that symbolizes wealth is the spring roll, also called chun juan. Not only does their color resemble wealth, but their shape is also looks like gold bars.
  • Make sure not to cut your noodles if you normally do so, because eating long, unbroken noodles in the dish called longevity noodles is believed to encourage longevity in life. It’s also bad luck to cut anything during Chinese New Year, because it is viewed as cutting off your luck.
  • Fa gao, also known as “prosperity cake” or “fortune cake” is a popular dessert made from rice flour and steamed until the top splits. The more sections formed by the split in the top denotes how lucky a person will be in the coming year.
  • Another lucky dessert, nian gao or “year cake” is made from sticky rice flour and can be sweet or savory. The name of this dessert sounds just like the words for “higher year” which symbolize progress, success and a better year than the last.

The importance of wearing red

Red is associated with the colors used to scare away the monster Nian, but it also has other meanings as well. Traditionally, it stands for good luck in Chinese culture and is used to keep away any spirits who might harbor bad fortune. Wearing red is traditional for Chinese New Year, in order to welcome in the new year with good fortune, but you can also wear bold or bright colors for the celebratory mood, as well. You’ll also want to decorate with red around your home. Decorations include paper cuttings, which are intricate and narrative. They often represent symbols from mythology or of good blessings for harvest. Other decorations include Door Gods, red lanterns, calligraphy fortunes, paintings, and more.

The importance of the FU character

The Chinese fu character, meaning good fortune and blessings, is one of the most commonly found Chinese New Year symbols. It is written on a red, diamond shaped piece of paper, which is often hung upside down on the outside of the front door. The reason these fu papers are hung this way is because the word for “upside down” is similar to the word “arrive”. Hanging the fu character upside down signals that good fortune and blessings will arrive at your home for the new year.

The Chinese Zodiac

Chinese Zodiac animals are another one of the important Chinese New Year symbols. Each year is assigned one of the twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac in a very special order. This order is determined from one of the most well known Chinese mythological tales. The twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac are; the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The tale that tells us their order is the great race and it goes like this. The story goes that the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven and earth, held a race to create a calendar and a way to measure time. This race was a call to his dear animal friends to race across the river to him when upon their arrival they would a special meal and celebration together. There are a few different version for the telling’s of what actually happens during the race. But below is the most commonly accepted version for the results.

The rat and the cat were good friends, but they were poor swimmers. They asked the ox to carry them across the river, and he agreed. However, the rat tricked the ox by pushing the cat into the river and then leaping onto the ox’s head to finish first. The ox came in second place followed by a wet tiger after that. The rabbit was having a hard time hopping from stone to stone across the river, when suddenly a log floated by. The rabbit hopped onto the log and it drifted him quickly to shore. Little did the rabbit know that just behind him was the dragon. The dragon saw the little rabbit in need and graciously blew wind to carry the log all the way to shore. The Jade emperor was curious and asked the dragon why it came in fifth place when it could fly. It turns out, the dragon had been distracted from the race by a village that was in drought. The dragon provided rain to save the village then continued the race and was declared the fifth zodiac animal by the emperor. The snake, hid in the horse’s hoof to cross the river, then jumped out to scare the horse into seventh place. Next, a raft floated up to the finish line carrying the friendly ram, the playful monkey and the talkative rooster. The three of them had teamed up and crossed the river together. So, ram was eighth, monkey ninth, and in tenth place was the rooster. The dog, made it across the river, but spent too much time playing in the water and came in eleventh. The pig Stopped to eat and fell asleep, finishing in last place. The Jade Emperor assigned the pig the final space in the zodiac

It may sound odd but, if you want to get a really deep look at this tale and how each zodiac animal really manifests in humans there actually is a really amazing anime about it. Go check out fruit baskets.

The year of the snake

The snake, being the sixth animal in the zodiac, is set to take center stage in 2025. The Year of the Snake is associated with transformation, renewal, and spiritual growth. Snakes are known for their ability to shed their skin, symbolizing the process of letting go of the old and embracing the new. Snakes are everything you aspire to be: smooth, sneaky, and completely unbothered by the opinions of others. They’re the passive-aggressive MVPs of the animal kingdom. They slither through life with the grace and determination to get to there next goal. Never being afraid to strike out with a venomous bites to protect yourself and your way of life. The snake is also a symbol of wisdom, cunning, and adaptability. This year with the influence of the snake you can expect new opportunities and challenges that will test our skills and resilience. This year of the Snake signifies subtle power, and transformative growth. It embodies a quiet yet potent energy capable of illuminating hidden paths and fostering deep emotional and spiritual understanding. Its strategic, resourceful nature makes it excellent for long-term growth. I am just about done with a special guide to dive into this snake energy for the year specifically. So, keep an eye out for that coming in just a bit!

How the element wood affects the snake

When it comes to the Chines New year not only is there an animal associated with each year but, also an element that dominates that years energy. This year we find ourselves in the element wood alongside the snake. Wood represents the energy of growth, and is known for it’s flexibility that paired with the energy of the snake makes this a year of massive transformative energy. The last time we had a wood snake year was 1965 — the Vietnam War, the space race and the first space walk, Malcolm X’s assassination, the civil rights movement and the race riots, and the Beatles and the Rolling Stones tour the world. The snake’s strategic and introspective nature is complemented by the element of wood, which fosters growth, balance, and connection with nature. In the Year of the Wood Snake, the “Wood” element signifies a period of increased growth, flexibility, and creativity. Essentially, the Wood element softens the Snake’s typically reserved nature, adding a layer of compassion and a desire to nurture new beginnings. The influence of wood encourages our creative and innovative sides while the snake’s energy provides us with the strategic insights necessary to achieve our goals.

The Chinese new year and duality

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including sacred times like the Chinese new year. Even though this is a holiday and celebration focused on family, good luck, and prosperity which is a very wanted energy there is a duality to this celebration. Remember the myth we talked about with Nian? The mythological beast that came up from the ocean each year to eat villagers. That story reminds us that this time of the year is a liminal time where the veil is thin and protection from unwanted entities and spirits is needed. It also reminds us that often when we are celebrating our precious time with our families we are also reminded of a time we almost lost them or the ones we did lose already.

Correspondences for the Chinese New year

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, the zodiac energy the moon is currently or for A holiday or sacred time like the Chinese/ Lunar New year. I will list below for you to use. Remember this is not an all encompassing list and there may be other correspondences to use. Just follow your intuition and use what calls to you.

  • Planet- Jupiter
  • Animal-Snake
  • Element- wood
  • symbol- lanterns, zodiac animals, lai-see envelopes, couplets, fireworks, fu character, plum blossoms
  • colors-red, gold, white, black
  • Herbs/flowers-bamboo, fennel, cinnamon, star anise, Szechuan pepper, cloves, ginseng, Chrysanthemum, goji berries, peace lily, money plant, Anthuriums, bay leaves, Jade plants, peach, plum, Kumquat
  • Stones/ crystals-ruby, garnet, citrine, amethyst, peridot, jade, sapphire, clear quartz, aquamarine, black pearl, moonstone
  • Deities-The Year God: Also known as Tai Sui, Door Gods: Also known as Menshen, The Three Star Gods: Also known as Sanxing, The God of Wealth: Also known as Caishen, The Kitchen God, The City God, who is said to be the reincarnation of a human official from an earlier time
  • Food/drinks-Tang yuan, fish, dumplings, spring roll, also called chun juan, Fa gao, also known as “prosperity cake, nian gao or “year cake”, tangerines, plums, peaches, fruit, shrimp, chicken

How to celebrate the Chinese new year with the snake

Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season, Chinese New Year celebrates looking to the future for new beginnings with themes of happiness, health, and good fortune. The New Year is frequently regarded as an occasion to gather and feast together as a family at a reunion dinner to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. However, you choose to celebrate the chines new year and work with its energy just follow your intuition and do what feels right for you. Let’s take a look at some of the many different ways you can celebrate and work with the energy of the Chinese new year.

  • create an altar for your ancestors and leave offerings for them
  • Graveyard magic
  • Spread prosperity and good luck by handing out lai-see red envelopes
  • Read the myths and legends of the Chinese zodiac
  • Learn about the culture and region of the China
  • Perform lunar magic to welcome in the lunar new year
  • Sweep your entire home, declutter, deep clean, reorganize
  • hang up decorations like paper lanterns, couplets, and the color red
  • Practice calligraphy and you can even use it to create sigils to welcome in the lunar new year
  • Host a family get together eating traditional lucky foods
  • Cleansing and purification magic
  • Transformation spells
  • Do release work to let go of the past year and shed your old skin
  • work with the snake in your spells, rituals, and represent it on your altar
  • introspection and reflection based on transformation, creativity, and shedding old skins like shadow work.  If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.
  • Set off some fireworks
  • Attend a lion or parade dance if you can
  • Divination like pulling cards
  • Good luck and abundance spells
  • host a family reunion
  • Give thanks and practice gratitude for the past year
  • Use the venom and bite of the snake to protect yourself with protection magic and baneful magic like hexes, curse, binding
  • Creativity express yourself with the snake
  • be flexible and adaptable with your plans and way to reach your goals like the wood and snake
  • Bathe in the moonlight

Final thoughts on the energy of 2025

2025 isn’t here to hold your hand or sing you a lullaby. It’s here to remind you that you’re a witch. You are a powerful and sovereign entity dammit, and sovereign beings don’t crumble, they conquer. So shed your old skin, step into your power, and slither into this year like the unapologetic, venomous conqueror you were always meant to be. Remember while you do this to never be afraid to show your teeth and strike with a venomous bite if someone gets in your way and threatens your way of life. Be fluid and slither with grace to get to where you need to go and don’t be afraid of the paths in the shadows. The shadows may be mysteries and dark but, in them wisdom can hide. We have a big year full of so much energy that is dynamic, and confrontational unfolding in front us. We won’t be able to slither and hide in the shadows from our purpose, our power, and our true identities anymore. But, we can use them to heal, transform, and find new paths in the dark. This is a year we will be forced to remove masks by completely shedding our skins. We will be forced to uncoil from a place of safety and warmth to find our true way in the world in and new creative way. We will be forced to stand up show our venomous bite and even strike back with a lethal blow when the timing is just right.

Have you been feeling stuck, emotionally unstable, missing joy in your life, or having a hard time connecting to yourself and your magic? Do you want to start the new year from a different headspace? I have the answer for you to start out this new year from a place feeling grounded, present, and ready to manifest your dream life. Come join me for this special one time only two day event teaching you how to integrate the practice of Mindfulness to your magic and life!

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without judgment. It allows you to move from just existing in life to thriving, get back to wise mind, create a place to heal and grow in, and most important of all, align you with joy while creating a life where you truly thrive! This skill is a core skill in DBT, the therapy that changed my life! To register for this special two day event visit the link below! https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/JY5UBMB2TA27L

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Gain Clarity with Your 2025 New Year Goals by choosing a word of the year

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by! As we welcome in a new calendar year it’s important to choose your word of the year! If you haven’t already chosen a word of the year now is the time to do it! Choosing a word of the year allows you to look back on your hopes and dreams for the year. You have the chance to set the stage for the year to come and focus on what you need most in your life right now. Your word of the year can help you set goals that share a common theme. Ideally, your word of the year should be something that inspires you to reach your goals, chase your dreams, and drives you to live a fuller life. I truly believe that choosing a word of the year can be one of the most powerful things you can do in terms of goal setting , manifestation, and personal growth when the new year comes around each time.

Why choose a word of the year?

In life, you can’t just wish for your dreams to come true. You need to commit to them, create a plan, and implement a system to make your goals a success. There are countless ways to do this. One that I find to be incredibly useful is to include a New Year’s word to constantly remind me of them and keep them at the forefront of my mind. Choosing a Word of the Year is like picking a theme or central idea you want to focus on for the whole year. It’s a simple way to remind yourself of what’s important and what you want to achieve or change in your life—like having a personal motto or slogan.

When you choose a word, it is usually what you need more of, what you want to focus on, or what you need to improve on. A lot of the time, my word has been blaringly obvious. It helps me gain clarity on my goals, my personal development plan, and stay committed to my goals all year long. This method I have been using for years has now become a cornerstone to the foundation of all my goal setting and manifestation work for each year to come. If all that’s not enough reasons to set a word of the year, I don’t know what is!

How do you choose your word of the year?

Choosing a word of the year doesn’t have to be hard. Your word of the year just needs to provide you with inspiration for the direction you desire this next year to go!

First step is to, reflect on the past year and on the next year ahead. Make sure you look at the highs and the lows of from the past year. Look at what worked and what didn’t. Be authentic and honest with yourself about how the past year truly made you feel. Don’t hide from yourself to try and make yourself feel more accomplished then maybe the last year went as well. But, also don’t let yourself get fixated on the things that didn’t come to fruition through manifestation. Instead be willing to see through your eyes with clarity, the lessons they have taught you as this chapter comes to a close. Below are some of the questions I have used from year to year to pick out my word of the year. Use any of them that speak out to your soul or come up with your very own!

  • What do you want to do or accomplish the most in the next year?
  • What was the overall feel of last year?
  • Is there something you want more of or don’t want in teh next year?
  • How do you want to feel by the end of next year?
  • Is there something important you want more of from the past year?
  • Is there something you cherish you want more of from the past year?
  • What skills did you learn in the past year you want to use in the next one? What new ones would you like to learn?
  • What was the biggest lesson you learned in 2024?
  • What is the biggest lesson you wish to learn in 2025?
  • What core value of yours do yo wish to focus on this next year?
  • What feeling fits the goals of every area of your life?
  • What is the biggest blockage you need to remove in 2025 to manifest your dream life?
  • How do you want to describe your life by the end of 2025?
  • How would you describe the year 2024 in one word by the end of it?
  • What was the best things you manifested in 2024?
  • What is the biggest thing you need in your life to meet all your goals in 2025?
  • What major life changes happened in 2024? What ones do you wish to happen in 2025?
  • What was the greatest challenge you had to overcome in 2024?

Once we have taken the time to sit and reflect with our feelings and thoughts for the past year and then how we want to create the year unfolding ahead. It’s time to sit down and start to get a rough picture of how you want your goals to take shape in the year ahead. This step is crucial. If you don’t know what you want to accomplish, it’s going to be extremely difficult to reflect on your accomplishments and assess if you were successful. While you are doing this make sure to take a close look at each of your goals and try to find any connections between them. If you start to see a link now you may start to see your word of the year start to take form and reveal itself to you. Take a look at some of the categories below to help you start to brainstorm your goals. If you need help to learn more about what goals are you can read my guide about them here.

  • Finance
  • Parenting
  • Relationship(s)
  • Travel
  • Home Improvement
  • Self-Care/ self-love
  • Health
  • Career
  • Self-Development
  • Mental health
  • Healing journey
  • business
  • hobbies
  • political activism
  • Spiritual well being
  • Learning/knowledge/education
  • family
  • fun
  • cleaning/organization
  • pets

Now that you reflected on your past year, what you want in the next one ahead, and started to shape your goals for the new year. It is time a create a list . Create a list of one words that fit the feeling of the things you have written down. I like to do this brain dump style. How I do this is I read my answers to the question from above. Then without judgement, fear, or trying to control what comes I pick up my pen and just let the words come. I write down every single one that comes. Now, it is time for you to do the same. Don’t judge any of them that come, you never know which one may sneak up and surprise you. Below you will find a list of ALOT but, certainly not all of the words I have had come to me throughout the years. If any of them are glittering to you on this new day as an unknown year unfolds take them and add them to your list as well.

  • balance
  • compassion
  • commitment
  • acceptance
  • release
  • heal
  • Focus
  • Clarity
  • growth
  • perspective
  • integrate
  • magic
  • learn
  • dream
  • cultivate
  • prosper
  • shine
  • conquer
  • embrace
  • peace
  • simplify
  • create
  • accept
  • explore
  • adventure
  • expand
  • evolve
  • hustle
  • Cherish
  • rest
  • reflect
  • bloom
  • confidence
  • self love
  • thrive
  • elevate
  • inspire
  • persevere
  • forgive
  • encourage
  • connect
  • consistency
  • renew
  • enough
  • alignment
  • boundaries
  • pause
  • seek
  • gratitude
  • speak
  • wander
  • ground
  • allow
  • be
  • believe
  • authenticity
  • honesty
  • success
  • softness
  • family
  • me
  • build
  • devoted
  • Fight
  • Flexibility
  • fulfill
  • fun
  • habit
  • health
  • home
  • imagine
  • divinity
  • illuminate
  • indulge
  • lift
  • no
  • now
  • observe
  • progress
  • sparkle
  • trust
  • surrender
  • rebuild
  • teach
  • together
  • fight
  • unfold
  • wild
  • accepting
  • aware
  • justice
  • brave
  • curious
  • Disciplined
  • Empowered
  • Happy
  • Intuitive
  • invested
  • Wealthy
  • nourishing
  • motivated

Now that you have this long list of words in front of you it time to narrow down your favorites. However you choose to do this is up to you. Whether you meditate, use a pendulum, simply sit and reflect on them or something else. Narrow it down to a few or handful of your favorites to choose from.

Drum roll…. Now is the time we have been waiting for. It is time to choose the word that you can commit to as the next year unfolds. As you choose your word you need to make sure you have a strong pull to it so, you feel you can truly commit to it. If you can’t commit to focusing on your word, then you won’t live up to your goals for the new year. You won’t make changes or put the effort forward Make sure .that your word just feels like it fits. Some years you’ll need a more active word because you’re in a season of growing. While others will be more quiet and slow as you are in a season of reflection and introspection. So, make sure the one it is you choose sings to your soul and is one you can really commit to in the long year ahead.

My 2025 word of the year


After I sat down and did this for 2025 myself , the word that was singing to my soul for 2025 is Consistency. What is Consistency? It is the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way. Consistency also means that we’re making sure we’re doing the things we tend to avoid. There are many benefits to implementing consistency in our life to help us achieve our biggest dreams and reach our highest goals. I’ll list a few of them below.

  • Builds trust- Being consistent in your actions and words helps others perceive you as reliable and dependable.
  • Helps achieve goals- Consistency is a critical driver for success, and it involves dedicating yourself to your goals and staying focused on what you need to do to achieve them.
  • Makes lasting change- Consistency is key to making lasting change serving as a catalyst. it can also increase your productivity and motivation.
  • Helps you overcome procrastination- Consistency can help you let go of fear and procrastination, and take action regardless of how you feel. Which in turn helps with emotional regulation.
  • Helps you build habits- The more consistently you do something, the easier it becomes, and eventually it becomes a habit.
  • Consistency enables us to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in our chosen field and become a master as well.
  • Reducing stress-Consistency can provide stability and reduce uncertainty.
  • Building resilience- Consistent effort can help you persevere, overcome challenges, adapt to change, and stay motivated in the face of adversity.

Why I chose the word Consistency

Now, to be honest, I’m pretty determined and I achieve most of my goals (at least 80%) but when I reflect on those that I don’t achieve, it almost always comes down to consistency. I would probably describe myself as someone who likes to start stuff and likes the sense of achievement of finishing stuff but ,I don’t enjoy the middle. when you can struggle. When you may have days that you don’t hit all of your goals, check off the whole to do list, or be focused on your goals at all. Those days when I don’t do anything to work towards my goals, manifestation, and growth are the ones that can derail my progress and even my entire year. It starts a shame spiral I really struggle to get myself out of off and it holds on very tight. But, as I sit here now and reflect on those moments they also are some throughout the past year that I learned the most about myself.


I n those moments of being inconsistent I have learned so much about myself in the past few years but, especially the past one. From how to love myself more, trust in my gifts and magic, and learn how I can truly help the collective in this life around. My confidence grew and I learned how to use my voice in a more efficient way, and that my number one gift is my authenticity. I learned that my artistic and creative self has been hiding just waiting for the right way to express itself and be let out. 2024 taught me a lot about flexibility and slowing down. Reminding me that amongst a chaotic year and life I can eventually find peace amongst the anxiety of the unknown and be able to cherish the little moments when I go back to my roots , surround myself in silence and be still.

I also learned that I have a lot more healing to go to keep myself in wise mind which allows me to be consistent with the way I want to live my life every single day. I need to be more committed to working through dysfunction, tough times, and hiccups in life (especially with technology) to be more consistent in showing up in my life. I need to be more focused on not being perfect in my progression every single day. But, to instead be willing to just be consistent to see long lasting change. Where my life, my business, my growth, my learning, and my evolution have been blocked and stopped is with me, myself, and I not being consistent with the things I want in life .With not being consistent with the things I know I need to do in life, to reach the highest peaks and bring my dreams into reality. With allowing perfectionism and a need to control block my sight. So, for 2025 I commit to being consistent with myself in an honest and authentic way.

What does being consistent in this year look like to me?

It means showing up for myself and my goals each and every day. Taking action regardless of how I feel on any given day. It means that this year will be the year I build upon the work I have been doing over the last five years to evolve, grow, and alchemize my suffering. I build upon the last year of work I have put in to build my business(this sacred container) and acknowledging the vast amount of progress I have made so far. I will keep doing the things that work and I won’t worry about the rest. I believe that being consistent will help me both personally, spiritually, and NOW professionally. Being consistent will help me let go of the fear of the unknown, of the self-doubt as to whether I can achieve my goal as well as all that procrastination and excuses. Why? because when you choose to be consistent none of that matters, you just keep doing what you’re doing. It makes you accountable to yourself, to your plan. It will also help me be my authentic self, practice what I preach, and let go of the need to be perfect and in control at all times with myself and my world. So, for 2025 I commit to being consistent with myself in an honest and authentic way.

How to use your word of the year?

Now, that you have gone through the steps and reflection to get to your word of the year what do you do? How do you incorporate this word into your life, manifestation and goal setting for the new year waiting to unfold. How do you take this one little word and have it be the corner stone of your dreams coming true, goals being met, and lasting change taking root? That is really truly going to depend on you and what you need. Think about what works best for you. Below are some of the things I have done in the past years you can try. Just listen to that little voice in your head and heart telling you which way to go.

  • My personal favorite, . If you haven’t learned how to create one to transform you year completely check out my guide here.
  • A lot of people like to call them vision boards but, I prefer to use goal boards. Using this term creates a much more urgent sense to complete what is on them instead of making them a some day dream. So, make sure when you create yours for this year your new word of the year you just chose inspires everything on it and is in the center of the board.
  • Are you a bullet journal fanatic like I am? Do you live your life on the pages of that journal? Why not put your world all over it? I do. I add it to the front o f the page and across every single margin so I see it every year.
  • Don’t use a bullet journal then write it on your planner, your calendar, or put on the notepad on your phone or lock screen as a home screen saver.
  • Use your word of the year to be the center of your goal setting mind map. This is one I love to do year after year. I take the word I choose then in the center of a page I write how can I…fill in this years word.. this years number. So for this year it said How can I have consistency in 2025? Then around that question I make boxes for each categories of goals and answer the question for each one. This helps me guide with clarity the goals I should focus on in 2025.
  • Let your word of the year be the guide and center focus of the SMART goals you set for 2025. To learn more about SMART goals and how to set them check out my guide here.
  • , you use for the next year.
  • Another great idea is to create a list of books to read that support your word of the year. If you aren’t a book person then do a list of podcasts, YouTube videos, or documentaries instead.
  • That bullet journal we talked about earlier why not go and pick out 12 monthly quotes that align with your word of the year. use one each month and write it in your bullet journal , on your bathroom mirror, create a phone lock screen, or write it on your monthly calendar page. You can find daily motivation quotes on my Pinterest page to sift through.
  • Are you ready to do some extra introspection and reflection with the new year? Use your word of year to create journal prompts or as you focus with shadow work . If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here;  you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.
  • Write your word on multiple pieces of small paper and seal them in a jar you decorate to pull out on days when you need to remember your focus for the year.
  • Take your word of the year and write it on sticky notes and place them all over your home to remind you of what is when you need it and you can’t forget it. You could even write it in the inside of your wrist. I have done that from time to time. I suggest don’t use permanent marker or sharpie. I have had it end up on my face by the morning while I sleep through transference. Not fun to try and wash off!
  • Are you more of a person who lives their life using their phone? Then why not take your word and have it on reminders, alarms, or calendar events to go off and be a consistent reminder for you.
  • Write your word down over and over and over again somewhere. Putting your goals which this word is tied to, in writing enhances their tangibility and strengthens your commitment to achieving them.
  • Share your word of the year with friends and loved ones. You can do this in anyway you like. When you Share your goals with trusted friends, family, or a mentor you gain encouragement and accountability. If you need a community to share your word with comment below, comment on facebook, or in my patreon.
  • Lastly, make sure to spend some time in a quiet, calm, and sacred container so you can meditate and visualize what living your life focused on your word of the year will look like, and feel like in the year to come.

Final thoughts

When it comes to choosing your own word of the year, there is no right or wrong way to do it. It’s about choosing one word (you may or may not want to choose a mantra/affirmation/quote instead or to go alongside) that will encompass your intentions for the year ahead. You want it to be your focus, your reminder to be your best self for the year. Your reminder to walk your own unique destined path to help heal the collective and the souls you find on your travels. Perhaps your word will come to you in a flash of inspiration or maybe you keep seeing it pop up as you go about your day. It might come to you quickly or it might be more slowly – you will know when you know. Just follow that intuition, trust yourself, and choose YOUR word. Then set your goals and reach for the stars! Just remember that 2025 can only be better if you choose to make it better. You have to put in the effort to make this year the most magical, and best one yet! What is your new word of the year? Come join me on Facebook or patreon and let me know or comment below!

Come join me the first Saturday of January to revolutionize how you set your goals for 2025. Let me show you hand in hand how to create my personal development plan. You will leave with your entire years worth of SMART goals planned, a way to keep yourself accountable, and have a clear path on how you meet every goal you set. https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/4ZKQ6FXMUGGEJ

Have you been feeling stuck, emotionally unstable, missing joy in your life, or having a hard time connecting to yourself and your magic? Do you want to start the new year from a different headspace? I have the answer for you to start out this new year from a place feeling grounded, present, and ready to manifest your dream life. Come join me for this special one time only two day event teaching you how to integrate the practice of Mindfulness to your magic and life!

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without judgment. It allows you to move from just existing in life to thriving, get back to wise mind, create a place to heal and grow in, and most important of all, align you with joy while creating a life where you truly thrive! This skill is a core skill in DBT, the therapy that changed my life! To register for this special two day event visit the link below! https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/JY5UBMB2TA27L

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Working with the magic of December; Introspection, Rest, and Rebirth

December is a time of reflection, renewal, stillness, rest, introspection, hope, celebrating community and our own uniqueness. The magic of December calls us inward for deep introspection to be a catalyst of rebirth and growth to bloom. Now is the time when we rest while we wait for the spring when the ground thaws and life begins again. In December the energy is focused on the journey deep within as the spirits from the other world are held off by the wild hunt and Odin seated upon Sleipnir. December calls us to focus on transformation, shadow work, releasing the past, and choosing the goals we will focus on this coming year to create the life we truly want. December is associated with Yule and the winter solstice marking the rebirth of the sun and the return of light after the longest night of the year. It’s a time to celebrate the return of light to the world next to the glowing hearth with our family and friends. It is a time to set intentions for the coming year, and reflect on the past year’s experiences. This month envelopes us in the duality and magic of winter. By showing us the introspection in dark nights and the hope of day light finally getting longer again. During December in the stillness and silence as the snow falls, and the ground freezes profound secrets of wisdom are whispered with each inhaled breath. Come join me in this blogpost to learn all about the magic falling down in each silent snowflake covering the realm during the month of introspection, rest, and rebirth; December.

History of December

December is the 12th month of the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The name December comes from the Latin word decem, which means “ten”. This is because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. December has marked the end of the year and the start of winter since the ancient Romans created their first calendar.

Zodiac Signs For The Month Of December

Those born in December are said to be born under either the sign of the archer Sagittarius or the mythical seagoat Capricorn.

Sagittarius are typically born between November 22 and December 21. Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac, and is represented by an archer. They are known for being self-sufficient, independent, free and are a one-of-a-kind, and wise beyond their years. Sagittarius, is the learned healer whose higher intelligence forms a bridge between Earth and Heaven.

Capricorn are typically born between December 22 and January 19. Capricorn’s symbol is a sea-goat, a mythical creature that is part goat and part fish. This is representative of Capricorn’s ability to navigate both the material and emotional realms. Capricorns are said to be hardworking, honest, loyal, and persistent. They are also known for being determined, responsible, and focused.

Sacred Days And Celebrations In December

Every Single month has sacred and important days and celebrations to help you connect to the energies of the month. Plus they usually are a lot of fun to take part in! Below you will find a list of the sacred days and celebrations for the month of December! The common theme you will find is connection to family, our homes, light vs dark and rebirth. But, first we are going to talk about a few that take centerstage during this month having us focus on the introspection in dark nights and the hope of day light finally getting longer.

Saturnalia

First up, one of my favorite festivals and holidays to read about in December because, it just sounds like so much fun; Saturnalia. The Saturnalia Festival is an ancient Roman holiday that mainly celebrated the Winter sowing season, as well as honored the god Saturn. The actual dates vary but most scholars agree it was once celebrated between December 17th and the 23rd OR December 25th through the 31st, depending on the calendar that was used. What we know for sure is that it was observed around Midwinter a.k.a. the Winter Solstice. Saturnalia was a jovial time for the entire city of Rome because, everyone in ancient Rome had off of work and participated in the excitement. Especially the most interesting tradition of this festival when the social norms of society were lifted. For example, slaves were able to be the masters and masters turned into the slaves. Women could switch roles with the men and vice versa. It was a true time of merriment and debauchery for all.

Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night

Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night, is a holiday celebrated on December 5th to celebrate the horned, cloven-hoofed companion to St. Nicholas; Krampus. Krampus is a terrifying winter devil who accompanies Saint Nicholas in Eastern and Central European Christmas parades. You’ll find him in Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, and parts of Croatia and Northern Italy. Krampus is said to punish children who misbehave, while St. Nicholas rewards the good ones. Krampus is said to have been part of pagan rituals for the winter solstice and is thought to be the son of Hel, the Norse god of the underworld. There’s also an uncanny resemblance between Krampus, Pan, fauns and the Celtic horned deity Cernunnos. But as with almost every pagan entity he Christianity came along and he became associated with Christmas despite efforts by the Catholic church to ban him.

Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice, occurring around December 21st in the Northern Hemisphere, is the moment when the sun takes its lowest arc across the sky, marking the longest night and the shortest day.The Winter Solstice is a special event that occurs when the Earth tilts farthest away from the sun. It is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It’s a special day when one part of the Earth, where you might live, gets the least amount of sunlight in a whole year. The Winter Solstice has been important to many cultures and religions throughout time. It represents a moment of stillness, reflection, and gratitude amidst the busyness of our day-to-day activities.

Yule

As the days draw short and the nights grow long, there are celebrations full of cheer as well as a tinge of fear in the cold, crisp air as Yule is celebrated far and wide. Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals, with origins among the ancient Norse thousands of years ago. Yule or Jol is believed to be first an ancient Germanic holiday season. The name Jol is believed to come from a name for Odin himself – JÓLFAÐR, which translates to Yule Father. Some say Yule lasted for 12 days, from the Winter Solstice forward, while others say the festivities lasted an entire two months. From December through January, if we’re looking at a modern calendar. At this time of year, people are experiencing both the height of darkness and the knowledge and hope that the light and warmth will return. Yule is a time for people to rest, enjoy good food and drink, and turn their thoughts to the gods and ancestors. Plus during this time it was thought that Odin seated upon Sleipnir stampeded across the sky leading the wild hunt keeping the spirits on their side of the veil.

The Celts also celebrated Yule, but their focus was on the rebirth of the sun and the coming of a new year. They believed that the burning of the Yule log was a way to symbolize the sun’s return and that the exchange of gifts was a way to honor the gods and ask for their favor in the coming year.
Some mark the holiday with reenactments of the battle between the Holly King
(representing darkness) and the Oak King (representing light) of Celtic legend.

Other sacred days and celebrations

  • Saint Nicholas’ Day – December 6
  • Egil Skallagrimsson’s Day – December 9
  • Human Rights Day – December 10
  • Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – December 12
  • Saint Lucia’s Day – December 13
  • Festivus – December 23
  • HumanLight – December 23
  • Yule – December 21
  • Christmas – December 25
  • Hanukkah- December 25- January 2
  • Boxing Day – December 26
  • Kwanzaa – December 26 – January 1
  • Dies Natalis Solis Invicti – December 25
  • Brumalia
  • Saturnalia – December 17
  • Mōdraniht
  • Holy Innocents Day – December 28
  • New Year’s Eve – December 31
  • Yalda Night
  • Toji (shinto)
  • Dong Zhi

Magical And Witchcraft Themes For December

During this month the darkness and silence calls to us to take a break from everything. We have put in the hard work all year, reaped what we have sown during the harvest festivals and now is the time to turn inward and rest. Between Samhain and Yule during the month of December, can be an ideal time for shadow work, working on anything that you want to heal, and release. Allowing for a profound rebirth and personal growth. Leaving room this month to focus on the next year ahead and what intentions you wish to set. To begin our new year with an inner flame of power that is burning bright all year long. Lighting the way for a year to manifest all that we truly desire. Performing intention setting and goal rituals during December will have a lasting affect on what you manifest in the year ahead. Don’t forget to cast fire spells as well during this month to bring you heat and warmth during the cold winter months. As well as connecting you to the hope of brighter and warmer days soon to come. I love to perform fire magic via candles during this month to create a beacon of light and hope for my mental health during the darkest days ahead. Lastly, if you live in a part of the world that freezes during the winter with frozen water ways and falling snow, binding and banishing magic can be extremely powerful and protective right now. Use the power of the alchemy in ice and snow to banish things from your life you need to let go, or to bind someone or something in place that no longer serves you in a wanted way.

The gods and goddesses of December

This month is a good time to get to know the winter goddesses that rule at this time. Some are associated with the dark goddess aspect as of the divine feminine as well. Allowing for a powerful portal to ancient wisdom and magical knowledge during this month as the snow falls. Everyone works with and views deity energy a little differently. Whether you view them as archetypes of the human consciousness, representations of the source energy, or as being entities on their own, there are certain deities that now is the time to connect to and honor them in the most sacred and amplified way.( Don’t forget to grab my eBook in the shop to help you explore this)

During this month a few deities take center stage because they have festivals or sacred days during this month to help you connect with them in a very intimate way. The deities that are going to be the best for you to connect to right now are deities connected rest, rebirth, protection, winter, snow, renewal, darkness, reflection, wisdom, and the winter solstice. Below we will talk about some of the deities you can work with this month. I could never list them all here. Plus take note how most of them are dark goddesses as well.

HestiaGreek goddess

The first deity I want to talk about I personally feel is overlooked far too often especially during the cold winter months. December is the month that ushers in the winter season. Which means we need warmth and heat for us to survive and thrive. Which is why I always feel pulled to her during this time. Especially living in Minnesota I need her to bless my hearth with continuous heat during the long winter months. Not only that, but she can make your home extra cozy during this month while you spend more quality time with your family. Hestia is the sole attendant to the celestial hearth of the gods. As the goddess of the hearth, she personified the fire burning in the hearths of every home in Greece. On a very tangible level, Hestia rules the domain of fire. This means that she is directly responsible, at least according to the Greeks, for the fire, the stove, and the heat in your home. Honoring her during December, the first month of winter when the temperatures begin to drop, and snow begins to flitter down. She will bless your hearth as she stokes and fuels the flames all winter long. Don’t forget all month long to present her and your hearth with the first offering sacrificed to keep those flames burning strong.

To learn more about and meet Hestia, you can come join me in my upcoming class all about her with Divination academy on Sunday December 15th @ 2:pm CST

Odin-Norse god

Odin is a Norse god who rules over wisdom, war, magic, and sovereignty. Odin is known by many many names. Wodan, Wotan, All Father, One-Eyed Seeker are but just a few. He is the ruler of the Aesir and steward of Asgard. In Germanic lore, it is said he leads the Wild Hunt while being seated upon Sleipnirs back. This hunt is a spiritual parade of sorts that flies through the sky on Winter nights. Sometimes the Wild Hunt collects lost souls and sometimes a person joins the Wild Hunt in their sleep. In Nordic countries, the people gave sacrifices to Odin in the Winter months to ensure safety from them and prosperity. Including the children leaving hay in their boots by the hearth for Sleipnir to snack on as he flew by. Does this sound familiar to you at all? A white bearded old man, riding across the sky with a stead bringing blessings to those as he goes by? Many believe Odin is the actual inspiration for modern day santa claus? Check out my class all about this on YouTube here and decide for yourself.

Skaði (Skadi / Skathi) – Norse goddess

Skaði is a Norse goddess, often called the “Winter Queen,” associated with the mountains, hunting, skiing, and the wild, primarily known as a giantess (jötunn) who married the sea god Njörðr. Daughter of a fallen giant, Skadi walks the windswept mountains, a huntress sculpted from ice and legend. Her eyes, sharp as glaciers, scan the frozen realm. Bow in hand, she glides through the snow on swift skis, a predator born of the wilderness. Tales paint her as fierce, her spirit forged in the fires of vengeance and tempered by the unforgiving cold. She is mistress of the mountains, where the sun dances on glacial edges and the howl of the wolf echoes through empty valleys. But beneath the hardened exterior lies a yearning for connection. A goddess caught between two worlds – Asgard, home of the gods, and the wild embrace of the giants. Skadi’s place in Norse mythology is multifaceted and we see this as she is featured in stories with Odin, Loki, and Njordr among others. She’s even associated with snowshoes, and in later stories is said to have married Odin and bore him many children. She is the embodiment of both the untamed wild and a yearning for understanding. She is a warrior queen, a skilled hunter, and a goddess who walks the line between two worlds. Her story reminds us of the power of resilience in the face of loss, the importance of honoring our true nature, and the ever-present tension and duality between harmony and conflict.

Boreas-Greek God
Boreas is the Greek God of the North wind, winter and ice. He’s also known as The Devouring One. He is the spirit of Winter and can be both violent and benevolent. Depending on the person and situation. The Greeks believed he came from the North, being the North Wind, and because of this was considered Thracian in origin. He is often depicted as a powerful, bearded man with wings, with two faces – one in front and one in back. He is the son of the Titan Astraeus and Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and brother to Zephyrus (the West Wind) and Notus (the South Wind). He is said to be the one who brings cold winter weather and is known for his violent temper, most famously abducting the Athenian princess Oreithyia to become his wife.

Cailleach – Celtic / Scottish

Cailleach stands as a prominent figure in Celtic mythology, embodying the essence of wisdom, transformation, and the cycles of nature. Her presence is deeply rooted in the folklore and traditions of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. She is a divine figure often depicted as a weathered, old woman wielding a staff or a wand. This staff is said to have mystical powers for when she slams it on the ground winter will freeze all the land. She represents the embodiment of winter, sovereignty, and the primal forces of the natural world. Since, the ancient Celts celebrated two seasons only, her reign bringing cold all over the land began on Samhain. So, take your time this month to connect to her allowing you a smoother and blessed time during the long cold winter months ahead as the snow begins to really fall and the temperatures freeze the ground.

Baba Yaga

The next goddess we have gives me a very similar energy and feel when I work with her as the goddess we just talked about above; Calileach. To modern witches and Slavic pagans, Baba Yaga is a witch goddess who lives deep in a birch forest moving from place to place among the trees in her hut she calls home on top of giant chicken legs. From time to time when she needs to gather more supplies you might catch a glimpse of her flying by up in the sky from her magical mortar and pestle. She’s a wild and untamed old woman, often seen as a hag or crone, but can transform herself into a beautiful woman to manipulate or trick someone if she desires. Baba Yaga is a goddess of wisdom, healing, transformation, death, rebirth, renewal and autumn/winter. When healing is needed, whether it’s from colds/flu or emotional healing, Baba Yaga can offer healing often in the form of herbal teas brewed by herself. Calling on her during this December can lead you through the forest now frozen and blanketed in snow, to her skull fenced lined home. To peer into the darkness of her cauldron and gain the most ancient wisdom from the darkness of the cosmos that she guards. To learn more about her you can read my previous post here.

Correspondences For The Month Of December

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, the zodiac energy the moon is currently or for time of the year like a month, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of December. Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

  • Planet-Saturn
  • Animal- stags, bears, owls,
  • Element- fire and earth
  • colors-Red, green, gold, silver
  • Symbol-Evergreen trees, candles, yule log, stars, bells, krampus, santa claus
  • Herbs-Holly, mistletoe, cedar, pine, juniper, Ivy, thyme, rose hips, peppermint, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, chicory root, yarrow, elderflower, poinsettia, myrrh, Narcissus
  • Stones/ crystals-Ruby, garnet, obsidian, jet, lapis lazuli, serpentine, turquoise, tanzanite, Amethyst, Pyrite, Clear Quartz, aquamarine
  • Deities-Dagda, Cernunnos, Odin, Thor, Freyr, Morigan, Cailleach, hestia, Baba yaga, Amaterasu, Skaði, Mithras, Sol Invictus, Alcyone, Baldur, Holda, Bona Dea, Dionysus, Helios, Osiris, Sunna, Nyx, Isis, Freya, Apollo, the oak king, the holy king
  • Zodiac- Sagittarius and Capricorn
  • Themes-Rebirth, renewal, light, generosity, reflection, darkness, stillness, silence, coldness, introspection, to endure, wisdom, Personal alchemy, Spiritual paths, Purification, Meditation, banishing, binding, cleansing, home and hearth, family, shadow work, healing, transformation, duality, balance, goals, intentions, new beginnings, endings

How to connect to the magic of December

We’ve talked a lot about all the different types of energies the month of December has and gives us access to work with. So, how can you specifically connect to those energies? In your everyday life you can make sure your affirmations , intentions, and manifestations align with the energies of renewal, reflection, healing, new beginnings, and aligning ourselves with the cycles of the natural world with the darkest nights and coldest days ahead of us in this month. Make sure to grab onto the energy of warmth in the fire crackling in your hearth and home as well as you let go of the past year and head into new beginnings with hope as the next one unfolds. You can celebrate and honor any of the sacred days and holidays this month like Saturnalia, Yule, and many of the celebrations to honor the winter solstice and turning of the wheel.

Some Rituals and spell workings during this time that will be really intensified will be based on cycles of the seasons, rest, reflection, the winter, stillness, silence, and the darkness of the shadows surrounding us. Other spells that will have some significant meaning right now and help you connect to the energy of December should be centered around new beginnings. Setting intentions for you to manifest the life of your dreams in the new year to come. This month is another month when you can really get some clear and transformative messages from your guides. through any means of divination you prefer but, fire gazing or Cryomancy ( snow and ice divination)are some to think about to align with the correspondences of this month.

December creates a very potent liminal pocket of time that is teeming with duality, balance, and the power of transition from not only one season to the next but, from one year to the next.. It’s a month that really pulls us to go deep within ourselves in the darkness, stillness and silence for introspection, reflection, self awareness, and growth. This makes it a great month to do any work on transformation, reflection and preparation for dark times through shadow work. Allowing the energy of the frozen winter in the final days of the year to prep you for the long introspective months of winter ahead. If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.

  • Elemental magic with the element of Earth or fire
  • Solar magic
  • Shadow work based on transformation, rest, the cycles of nature, new beginnings through darkness, hope through light
  • Simmer pot for cleansing, renewal, and warmth in your home
  • Transformation and transition spells and rituals
  • Herbal magic-brew teas especially, or add herbs to your hot drinks
  • Protection magic– most potent right now will be banishing and binding
  • Purification and cleansing rituals and spells using snow
  • Abundance and gratitude magic- one of my favorites this month is using drinks like hot chocolate and apple cider to call in abundance daily to my life
  • Candle magic
  • Bake fresh loaves of bread and add sigils to the dough for good health and prosperity
  • Set SMART goals and intentions for your manifestations for the new year
  • Journal reflecting about the past year than take the piece of paper and burn it in a fire
  • Slow down, rest, do soft self care for yourself
  • Add a yule log to your home or altar
  • Decorate an evergreen tree for yule and the solstice
  • Create a pentagram wreath and hang on your front door for protection and winter blessings
  • Make a manifestation and wish pinecone
  • snow magic
  • work with deities of darkness, the underworld, and winter
  • Divination like fire gazing, snow scrying, melt snow and use the water in scrying, Cryomancy
  • Create a spell jar to connect to the winter solstice
  • Make a holly crown
  • reflect on the past year in gratitude try my 7 day gratitude challenge
  • Get out in nature, feel the snow, the cold, and the frozen ground while listening to the silence all around
  • Create a witches ball
  • Random acts of kindness
  • Make snow water
  • Write situations or people you want to cool off on a piece of paper and bury it in the snow
  • Learn about the history of Krampus and Santa claus
  • Hang garlands of dried oranges and cranberries for prosperity around your home
  • Create a freezer spell
  • hang mistletoe over your threshold for protection
  • Add ice to your ritual bath for added protection and purification
  • Make a snowman as protection ward for your property
  • Make snowballs and release things you need to let go when you throw them
  • draw sigils in snow and ice
  • meditate as the snow falls
  • make ice lanterns
  • Caroling
  • Visit light festivals
  • Mirror magic and mirror work

Duality and the month of December

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including sacred times like a month of the year like the one we are currently in, December. I’m going to be honest until this year I really struggled with the duality of this month. I used to hate the bitter cold, and the wetness that chills to the bone with falling snow. All I would focus on was the untold stories and lost dreams frozen in silence all around me. I would let the harshness of this month drown me in the things of the past and let the darkness hold me back. But, now this year I am able to see clearly the other side to this month. There is absolute beauty in the pure whiteness of the snow blanketing the world right now. It washes all of nature in a cleansing and healing way as it goes into a deep rest to hibernate. Waiting to awaken when the ground thaws and spring begins to bloom as new being that was able to get the rest it needs to reflect. The silence and wisdom you find whispered in the creaks of trees is profound as each breath you take in reminds you of being alive with a bitter bite. The duality of this month send us into, what I am coming to learn may be the most liminal pocket of time in the entire year. Allowing us to be reborn by the sunrise of the brand new year when the solstice blesses us with hope as the days get longer and bright again.

Final Thoughts

We talked about many things in this blogpost including the history, some celebrations, the different energies and magical themes we can work with during this month. Along with how to connect to those energies, deities we can honor and worship, and how to work with the magic of December. December is a uniquely magical time that invites everyone to plant the seeds for hopes and dreams. December reminds us that even in the darkest nights, in the harshest conditions, and the coldest times we can still find hope and light. It’s the month that shows us the depth of our resilience and our willingness to thrive in harsh conditions. December invites you to let go and open up, to give out of yourself and to receive. It asks you to look within and tend to our inner garden. It asks you to weed out the old that no longer fits, and to make room for the new that holds endless magical possibilities. December shows us that just like nature we have the ability to every year become a blank canvas. Ready for us to paint and create something brand new and beautiful again. As the snow falls and blankets nature December’s magic brings the promise of rest, introspection, new beginnings, and endless possibilities.

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The magic of working with Pumpkins

Autumn is a magical time, perfect for witchcraft, as we approach the latter half of the year and the long, dark, cold, months of Winter drawing near. In witchcraft we use many things in our lives as tools for our spell work from nature or our home, like one of the most popular symbols and flavors of fall; Pumpkins. Pumpkins are synonymous with the autumn season we see them everywhere; especially around Halloween / Samhain and carrying through the month of November until Thanksgiving here in the USA. But, Pumpkins and gourds have been used for centuries in magic though as a form of protection, a connection to abundance and fertility, a boost to love and more. Let’s take a look at the biggest fruit, full of seeds of potential inside, who takes center stage during the spooky and fall season; the pumpkin in this blogpost.

Pumpkins what are they?

The pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo, is a type of Winter Squash though technically it is classified as a berry! The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word Pepõn, which means large melon. Most pumpkins are typically large, round and ribbed and of a distinctive orange color. However, they can also be white, green, yellow and other shades depending on the cultivar, as there are 3 or 4 different kinds of pumpkins overall. Harvested in October, this nutritious and versatile orange fruit features flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins. The pumpkin, though popular in many places throughout the world today, is native to North America and Mexico and has been cultivated since at least 7000 BCE. They were even a common crop to be planted and grown before beans and corn.

Medicinal properties of Pumpkins

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pumpkins aren’t just the most popular fall flavor and a common witches’ tool set out on our front doorsteps but, they are incredibly healthy for us as well. Pumpkins are loaded with nutrients that can boost your immune system and help you stay healthy like vitamin C, E, and A. Pumpkins are also high in carotenoids, which are compounds that can function as antioxidants and some believe may help protect against certain cancers like, stomach, throat, pancreas and breast cancers. The health benefits keep rolling in with them being high in potassium, vitamin C and fiber, which have been linked to having heart benefits. Plus these popular fruits can help you stay looking younger since they are loaded with nutrients that are great for your skin. Pumpkin seeds can also help boost your mood. They contain tryptophan which helps boost serotonin.

Magical themes of Pumpkins

In witchcraft every single ingredient and tool we use in our spells and rituals has magical themes and energies it can align with and be used for. Pumpkins are no different. They can be used in spells, rituals, or charms to enhance your fertility, boost your manifestation, and connect you to the gratitude of the harvest. They can be utilized to attract wealth, success, and opportunities for financial growth. Don’t forget the most common magical use of all; calling on them to aid in protecting your home and guarding your threshold. Take a look below for some more themes you can use pumpkins for in your magical workings, spells, and rituals. . Don’t forget you can use all parts of the pumpkin too! Especially the seeds for potent fertility spell workings.

  • Protection
  • Divination
  • Prosperity
  • Healing
  • Good health
  • Death
  • The harvest
  • Gratitude
  • Abundance
  • Good luck
  • The dead
  • Love and matters of the heart
  • Fertility
  • Transformation

Pumpkins in myths and lore

Pumpkins are a true symbol of Autumn and spooky season, most likely because, that’s when they are harvested. We’ve also seen them as part of Fall and spooky season festivals and celebrations for thousands of years across cultures especially during Samhain. Below are a few myths and common lore we have involving pumpkins.

The Origin of carving pumpkins

The act of carving faces into a vegetable originates with the Scots and Irish but they didn’t carve pumpkins in ancient times, they carved vegetables like turnips or potatoes. Later on, after the Scotts-Irish migrated to the New World, they brought their Samhain traditions with them but, started to use the native fruit of the land pumpkins instead. The frightening faces carved into pumpkins were thought to serve as guardians. People believe these glowing, eerie faces could scare away malevolent and confused spirits, and other dark entities, keeping homes safe during the Samhain season when the veil is pulled back from the other side.

The origin of the Jack o lantern

The term Jack o lantern actually originated in England and is linked to a supernatural phenomenon called Ignis Fatuus or “foolish fire”. This is an eerie, spectral light that sort of bobbs and dances. It seduces people off the beaten path and often to their death. In addition to the jack o’ lantern being a spook light, the name also has a couple legends behind it and refers to a character or man named jack or stingy jack who made a deal with the devil. Because of this deal with the devil, he is not permitted to go to Heaven or Hell and is doomed to wander the earth forever with a glowing carved turnip ( now pumpkin) as his head.. And apparently he amuses himself and passes the time by leading people to their doom down dark and haunted paths on Halloween night.

Other mentionings of pumpkins

According to a Huron creation story, pumpkins arose when a divine woman died in childbirth. All of the plants necessary for life sprang up from her body: Beans grew from her legs, corn sprang from her body, and pumpkin vines grew from her head.

In religions that sprang from the Africa, pumpkins are associated with several major deities, particularly Oshun and Shango. Oshun is a goddess of rivers, love, and fertility, which echoes the connections between pumpkins, the element of Water, and the concepts of fertility and abundance as seen in other cultures and traditions.

Duality and Pumpkins

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including the tools and spell ingredients I use. Pumpkins are full of duality in the properties they represent and energies they allow us to work with. On one hand they are a symbol of prosperity and abundance. Connecting us to the unlimited and generous flow of abundance calling it INTO our lives. While on the other hand they connect us to the energy of death and protection. Being a common symbol sitting at our front doors protecting our homes and threshold by keeping unwanted entities and spirits OUT.

We can’t forget that the most popular time to work with this tool is in the fall when they are being harvested and there are plenty to go around. The fall season is a really unique pocket of liminal space and time for us to connect to duality. We get to be surrounded by the bounty and abundance of the fall harvest and all the joy, celebration and gratitude that brings. While we are also confronted with the reality of nature beginning to die around us and the dark cold winter that is very soon going to be upon us.

Correspondences for the Pumpkin

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, the zodiac energy the moon is currently or for a magical tool/ fruit the pumpkin, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of the pumpkin. Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

  • Planet- moon
  • Gender- feminine
  • Day-Monday
  • Element- water and Earth
  • Crystals-Orange calcite, citrine, pyrite, heliodore, moonstone, onyx, obsidian,
  • colors-oranges, whites, reds, yellow, greens
  • Deities-Oshun, Nicneven, Priapus, Woden, Osris, Loki, Persephone, Cerrunnos, Dionysus, lady hel, lakshmi, hades, Saraswati, hekate, Janus, Anubis, fide, The Morrígan,Parvati, Shango
  • Holidays- Lughnasadh, Diana’s Festival, Mabon, Samhain, the fall harvest, Alfablot
  • Zodiac-Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus, Scorpio

Ways to work with the pumpkin

We’ve talked a lot about pumpkins in this post so far, including the magical themes associated with them. Those themes are the energies we can connect to with Pumpkins. They are how we can use them to build our spells and rituals. You have many options on how you want to include them in your spells and rituals and many different ways to work with them. Below you will find a list I put together of some ideas for spells, rituals, and ways you can work with them using the themes and magic we can harvest in each rounded and fruitful one.

  • Use their seeds as a spell ingredient for potent fertility spells in spell packets, spell jars, offerings at altars and more
  • Save their stems and grind them up to add to wish spells and manifestation magic
  • Abundance magic
  • Carve the pumpkin in a scary face and use it as a protection spell for samhain
  • Use the pumpkin in kitchen magic making pies, cakes, soups or drinks as abundance and fertility spells or to bless your home and hearth
  • Add a candle to the inside of a carved out pumpkin and use it for fire scrying
  • Carve sigils of protection and blessings in them and add them to your altar, hearth, or front door
  • Add them to your Samhain altar for your ancestors to represent death and transformation
  • Write an intention or goal for the spring and bury it in the ground with some seeds for them to grow in the spring
  • Write something you wish to release and let die and bury in the ground with old pumpkins to allow them to be released to the earth
  • Place 7 pumpkin seeds into a green spell bag or packet and place it in your wallet or purse and carry it around to attract prosperity
  • Paint an Algiz, Uruz, or Tyr rune on a pumpkin and place by the front door for protection during the Samhain season
  • Visit a pumpkin patch to soak up the abundance and fertility of the land they grow from
  • Carve a heart and the person’s name you love into the bottom of the pumpkin then light a red candle inside to attract their love into your life
  • Use them as portal magic when the veil is thinned during Samhain
  • Give them as offerings for graveyard magic or to deities of the dead
  • Hold a small pumpkin while working on balancing and aligning your sacral chakra
  • Get 3 smaller pumpkins and paint or carve symbols of fertility on them. Then mediate while focusing on them and thinking about what you would like to bring into life
  • Take a carved pumpkin and place a wish written on a bay leaf inside the pumpkin and bury it in the ground before sunrise

Pumpkin Scrying with water

There are countless forms of divination across the Earth using many different tools. Pumpkins can be powerful tools for divination, particularly in the practice of scrying due to their connection to transformation. Scrying is a form of divination that involves gazing into a reflective or translucent surface to receive visions or insights. Using pumpkins for scrying combines the seasonal magic of autumn with ancient divination practices.

How to perform pumpkin scrying

Hollow Out the Pumpkin- Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Save the seeds for fertility magic spells for later
Smooth the Interior- Scrape the interior walls until they are smooth.
Create a Reflective Surface- place a small mirror at the bottom of the pumpkin before adding water. This enhances the reflective quality of the water.

Fill the Pumpkin with Water-Pour clean water into the hollowed-out pumpkin, filling it to about three-quarters full.
Create sacred container- Do this in any way that works for you but, I recommned lighting black and white candles and setting them around the pumpkin to enhance the reflection

Gaze into the Water-Look into the surface of the water, allowing your gaze to soften. Don’t force any images to appear; simply observe and remain open to any visions or impressions.
Interpret Your Visions-Take note of any shapes, symbols, or scenes that appear in the water. Trust your intuition to interpret their meanings.

Samhain Pumpkin Protection Spell

Like we talked about above pumpkins were thought to be used as very strong symbols of protection during the fall especially when the veil was it’s thinnest during Samhain. While the veil is pulled back and entities, spirits, and the dead walk among us and come out to play. Don’t forget to protect your threshold. Making sure only those you wish to cross it on that hallowed eve are the ones who can.
Try this protection spell using a carved pumpkin on that night to give those unwanted spirits ghosts and entities a fright! I will even pull this spell out during different times of the year if my home ends up with an increased about of spirit activity for some reason.

What you will need:

A carved pumpkin, white candles, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, coriander, cloves

How to perform:

First take your white candles and set them in your pumpkin envisioning them bringing protection and being the guardian of your home this hallowed night. Next add your herbs of protection and connection to the dead to your pumpkin leaving out the bay leaves. Then take your bay leaves and add them one by one while saying out loud the names of the passed loved ones you would like to be able to cross your threshold and enter your home this hollowed night. After that take the top and with a deep breath seal the spell inside. Knowing this pumpkin will be the one now to decide who will come into your home on this hallowed night.

Kitchen Magic; Baking a pumpkin pie to bless your home

Kitchen magic is a very powerful type of magic that fills up the walls of your home. Allowing you to bless those you love while you can also create memories together and then fill their bellies with food. One common item to be baking right now especially with Thanksgiving at the end of this month when families will gather for a meal is a pumpkin pie. The entire process of making and baking the pie becomes a magical ritual. The spices used have their own magic properties helping you create your spell. You can then draw sigils or symbols in the pie crust before baking to add more magic and blessings for those you choose to serve it too.

Pumpkin Prosperity spell

Pumpkins are a significant sign of abundance and fertility for the fall. Think about when you cut open a pumpkin, it’s absolutely packed with seeds, each representing the possibility of new life and expansion. They can also be used to represent long term abundance as pumpkins can be kept for a long time before they start to decay. Another reason why they are plentiful for the fall harvest during this time right now. Try this prosperity spell using the very fertile and abundant pumpkin and watch your money flow get so much richer.

What you will need:
A piece of pumpkin
3 bag leaves
A pen
A piece of twine
A dollar bill
7 pumpkins
Cinnamon- abundance
Sugar- to sweeten the results and add speed
Rosemary-connection the dead
Basil-abundance/wealth
Nutmeg-abundance

How to perform:
Get yourself into sacred container focusing your energy and breath on abundance, prosperity and what it feels like to have more than all your needs met.
Then take your piece of pumpkin and sprinkle each one of your herbs on the entire thing continuously focusing on abundance and prosperity.
Next take your bay leaves and write the dollar amount you wish to receive on each of the three.
Take your pumpkin piece in your hand and as you envision that dollar amount coming to you freely grab it, the dollar bill and your three leaves and use the twine to bind and wrap the money to you and your family securely around your bright golden piece of pumpkin.
Once securely tied with the magic of a binding knot and your hand go outside somewhere you can bury it into the land. When you have your spot take your spell in your hand and recite out loud as you bury it into the ground.
” Pumpkin, pumpkin tightly bound bring your prosperity to me from the ground.
Pumpkin, pumpkin rich and bright bring this prosperity to me day and night.”

Now watch the money amount you requested begin to flow to you and your home.

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Deities of fall; Honor the harvest, transformation, and gratitude

Across many cultures, the time of the autumn equinox aka Mabon, has been marked with festivals that celebrate the second harvest, and is usually celebrated on September 21st-23rd. It is the time to celebrate the crucial period for gathering resources before the onset of winter. During the autumn equinox, summer officially ends and fall begins. Mabon, or the Autumn Equinox, is the time when day and night hours are equal. In the coming months, the days will get shorter and the nights will get longer. Mabon, or the fall equinox, is the first step toward the season of transformation. This is a time of transition and harvest, and a time of balance and realignment as we turn to greet the darkness of shadow season. As the Autumn Equinox brings equal day and night, Mabon stands as a poignant reminder of balance and reciprocity.

Mabon is not only a time for celebration but also for reflection and preparation. It encourages contemplation of life’s balances—light with dark, activity with rest, and abundance with scarcity. This equilibrium is reflected in the equal length of day and night during the equinox. In this sense, Mabon mirrors the theme of balance seen in the earlier spring equinox festival, Ostara, but with a focus on gratitude and the harvesting of blessings. This sabbat serves as a reminder to cherish and utilize the abundance currently available while preparing for the leaner times winter may bring. It’s a time to make the most of the remaining warmth and light, gathering resources and fortifying homes against the coming cold, all while giving thanks for the year’s bounty and the people with whom we share it.

During these festivals its common for many witches and pagans to work with and celebrate deities that connect to and represent the energies central to the celebrations. This season and it’s celebrations are full of magic, and there are many autumn gods and goddesses who embody its transformational energy.Autumn is a really important time in pagan culture and there are plenty of autumn gods and goddesses to work with or worship, depending on your practice, festivals, and celebrations. Let’s take a walk through the fields we are harvesting. Or through a woods full of vibrant leaves falling to the ground all around us. To take a look at the bounty of fall and revival in the transformation around us while we meet SOME of those deities together in this post today.

Demeter: Greek goddess of Agriculture and the harvest

Demeter is a major goddess in Greek mythology who plays an important role in the lives of the ancient Greeks, who relied heavily on crops and grains for their existence. According to Greek mythology, Demeter, also known as Ceres in Rome, taught humanity how to cultivate, preserve, and cook grain and maize. Her role was to rule over the fertility of the land as one of the main deities of the harvest. She presides over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth, and represents good harvests, fruits, vegetation, and the nourishment and growth of the earth. Demeter is also associated with health, birth, and marriage, and has connections to the Underworld. Other names she is known as are; the Harvest Goddess and Deo. Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and the sister and consort of Zeus, the king of the gods. Demeter’s legend centers on her daughter Persephone, who is “carried off” by Hades, the god of the underworld in some version. In others, Persephone goes to the underworld willingly to gain her own power. Demeter goes in search of Persephone, and during her journey she reveals her secret rites to the people of Eleusis.This, plus the deal she negotiates with Zeus to get her daughter to return to her for half the year; created the seasonal cycle. So in many ways, Demeter is the goddess of the seasons; she helps to usher in the new season and allows all things to come in cycles. She is a reminder that we must face the dark times of winter to be reborn in spring.

Persephone: Greek Goddess of Fall, spring, and the underworld

We can’t talk about demeter, fall, or transformation without talking about her beloved daughter Persephone. While many save spring to honor her. After working with her for over 10 years, I find autumn and fall to be an even more potent time to work with her. Because, it is her descent to the Underworld back to her beloved husband, that brings about the cold weather via the deal her mother demeter and father Zeus made. Spiritually and energetically, we all go to the Underworld with Persephone every single year. During Winter we move into a time of darkness, scarcity, and reflection. The harvest is our last attempt to store what we need in order to make it through that dark, cold time. While the winter can seem dark and scary, much like many view the Underworld, it is necessary to face these cold times for us to heal, meet our true self, and be reborn with the sun come spring.

So, who is Persephone? In Greek mythology, Persephone is the goddess of agriculture, the spring, the Underworld, duality, and the wife of Hades. Prior to her marriage with Hades she was known as Kore, which means “daughter” or “maiden”. I find this to be crucial to her story and representation of rebirth, because, before she grabbed power in her marriage to Hades, the gods hadn’t even given her a name or her own place of power. Which makes no sense to me because she was born from two of the most powerful deities. Persephone is the daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.For her to have such little power, be sheltered, and not have her own place of power within the pantheon was in injustice she would rectify through the power of rebirth and duality by becoming Hades wife. As the wife of Hades, Persephone governs the realm of the dead by his side with grace, compassion, and might. Persephone’s presence in the Underworld brings a sense of balance between life and death. Just like the balance she brings to us all during this equinox and the beginning of Autumn/fall.

To learn all about this alluring, intriguing, and transitional goddess, and see her story in a whole new light. Plus meet her in a guided meditation you can watch my class all about her here!

Hades: Greek god of the underworld

Since we’ve named him already alongside his beloved wife and her mother we can’t forget about the Greek god of the underworld; Hades (pluto). Some may not think of him for this festival and time of year but, with this being such a crucial time for his wife and her mother his energy is interwoven among it as well. I mean his love for his wife and desire to have her, is really the seed of intention that sprouts the seasons. Hades is the god and king of the Greek Underworld, which gives him power and control over the souls who reside there. Hades, name translates to “unseen” or “sightless”, which really connects him the energy of transition, rebirth, and the liminal space . Connecting him to this time of year to allow us to walk in and out of the liminal space of transition just as we do the fall trees. Hades is the son of the Greek Titans Cronus and Rhea, and he is brother to Zeus, Demeter, Hera, Hestia and Poseidon. Hades’ father Cronus attempted to swallow him whole to destroy him forever but, in the end he failed. Allowing Hades to truly feel comfortable in the belly of the darkness fall is preparing us for and understand the pain and beauty to be born anew again.

Dagan god/ Dagon: Syrian and Semitic God Of Agriculture

Dagan god, was an ancient deity revered in Syria, Mesopotamia, and the eastern Mediterranean. Dagan god was considered the all father of the gods and worshipped for his connections to agriculture, prosperity, and fertility. Dagangod was a very powerful deity, often associated with the divine rulership and legitimacy of kings in ancient society. Dagan god also has a clear connection to Baal, the storm and fertility god, connecting him even more to energy of fertility. Together, they formed a harmonious pair representing the different elements needed to create thriving civilizations; fertility, prosperity, and divine protection.

In other writings, like the biblical context, Dagan god is referred to as Dagon. Dagon was the god of fertility and agriculture worshipped by the Amorites, an early Semitic tribe. Dagan was the Hebrew and Ugaritic common noun for “grain,” which made him one of the primary autumn gods bringing them a bountiful harvest. He is worshipped during this time more as a god of harvest and abundance. Instead of a god of transition because he tends to “rest” until fertility is restored in the spring when he restores the Earth’s bounty.

Pachamama: Incan Goddess Of Fertility, Time, & The Earth

Pachamama, the Inca goddess of fertility and nature, and she holds great significance in the indigenous cultures of the Andes. She is seen as the mother earth, is revered for her ability to cause earthquakes. By becoming a dragon underneath a mountain and causing the entire earth to tremble and shake. She is revered as a sacred force responsible for sustaining life and ensuring the abundance of crops and resources. The Incas believed that Pachamama was a loving mother figure, representing the living Earth itself. She was revered as a deity of duality capable of both creating and destroying. Both being essential for the cycle of life. The Incas perceived Pachamama as a benevolent and nurturing force that sustained all living beings. Later, the fusion of indigenous beliefs and Catholicism during the Spanish colonization led to the association of Pachamama with the Virgin Mary.

Hestia: Greek goddess of hearth, home, and fire

I can’t help but, always think of Hestia and turn to her during the fall. She may not be an obvious choice for some. But, when we think of fall it’s a time we go in, including returning back to our homes. We spend the time tidying up, storing goods, and collecting wood for the long cold winters ahead. Hestia is the sole attendant to the celestial hearth of the gods. As the goddess of the hearth, she personified the fire burning in the hearths of every home in Greece.On a very tangible level, Hestia rules the domain of fire. This means that she is directly responsible, at least according to the Greeks, for the fire, the stove, and the heat in your home. Which is why I always feel pulled to her during this time. Especially living in Minnesota I need her to bless my hearth with continuous heat during the long winter months. Honoring her during the equinox when the temperatures begin to fall, will bless your hearth as she stokes and fuels the flames all winter long. Don’t forget all winter long to present her and your hearth with the first offering sacrificed to keep those flames burning strong.

To learn more about and meet hestia, you can come join me in my upcoming class all about her with Divination academy on Sunday October 13th @ 2:00pm CST!

Autumnus: Roman deity of the Harvest

Autumnus represents the abundance of nature and harvest time during the autumn season. Autumnus is a unique deity as well, since we have both male and female representations of them. Which makes them a gender fluid deity. They represents the harvest, wine, and fruits of the earth. They are the divine personification of the autumn season, representing the abundance of nature and the time of the harvest. Autumn is a time to appreciate the earth’s abundance, but also remembering that the daylight hours will now begin to wane, meaning caution is called for. So while we reap autumn’s bounty, we must also start planning for the dark months ahead. This is the energy Autumnus brings and reminds us of, the fluidity of change within the cycle of seasons.

Cerridwen: Celtic goddess and keeper of the cauldron

Cerridwen is considered a goddess from the Welsh Celtic tradition today, but according to the Mabinogion and other Welsh legends, she is referred to as a Sorceress. Or a witch. Cerridwen is the Keeper of the Cauldron, the mother of transformation and change. Cerridwen is a goddess of “Awen” which is the source of Divine Inspiration. She brings inspiration, wisdom and the gifts of prophecy to those that work with her. She is seen in Welsh legend as being a crone Goddess.Cerridwen is also to some worshipped as a triple goddess, representing the Maid, Mother, and Crone, and can shape shift between life and death. Cerridwen’s areas of influence are Magic, fertility, wisdom, poetry, creativity, herbalism, the harvest, and more!

According to legend, Ceridwen sought to brew a potion of Awen, a divine inspiration, to grant her son, Morfran, unmatched wisdom and poetic prowess. As most myths go it didn’t actually end as planned, instead includes a chase, a death, and a new son to be born.Through her myths, Ceridwen represents the continuous cycle of death and rebirth, the pursuit of knowledge, and the power of transformation. Her cauldron is a symbol many use in rituals and meditations to invoke inspiration and change. Since, Mabon is a time of balance between light and dark. It is a period for giving thanks and reflecting on the cycle of life and death. Ceridwen’s themes of transformation and the harvest of wisdom and cosmic knowledge align well with the energies of Mabon. As she stirs the cauldron of rebirth, knowledge, and transformation, she transforms the world. Out of the unknown she reminds us, comes new life and new ideas. Embrace the spirit of Ceridwen this Mabon and may her cauldron show you your path to rebirth, transformation, and cosmic wisdom.

To hear more about the story with her son and to peer into her cauldron in guided meditation you can watch my class about her with Divination Academy here!

Inanna: Sumerian goddess of fertility, love, abundance and more

Inanna is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess associated with love, war, fertility, and more. She was originally worshipped in Sumer, but was also known as Ishtar by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. As the goddess of love and war, Inanna embodies the essence of duality. From peaceful alliances to fierce battles, her attributes symbolize the duality present in human life. She represents both passionate desire and relentless power, captivating us with her enchanting beauty and formidable strength. The story of Inanna is another descent into the Underworld. In this myth, Inanna embarks on a perilous journey to the realm of the dead, seeking to confront her sister Ereshkigal.The land became infertile and crops stopped growing when Inanna was in the Underworld, similar to Persephone’s story. Inanna restored fertility to the land after returning to Earth and bringing the crops back to life.

Modron: Welsh Earth mother goddess

Modron is a Welsh goddess of fertility, healing, abundance, grief, loss, and ancestral wisdom. She is also known as Matrona, and is said to be the mother of the divine child, Mabon. Modron is thought to have originated as a river goddess in ancient Celtic Gaul. Modron is featured in the Welsh Mabinogi tales, the Welsh Triads, and modern tales of Avalon. In these tales Mabon her son, was abducted as an infant and King Arthur embarks on a quest to rescue Mabon with many adventures happening along the way. Linked to fertility and the natural cycles of life, Modron’s association with the land’s bounty and the creation of new life is widely acknowledged. Mysterious and revered, she embodies the essence of motherhood and the nurturing aspects of life that we are giving thanks for this season.

Mabon: Son of Welsh Earth mother

Mabon, an enigmatic figure in Celtic mythology, and Arthurian legends holds a significant place in ancient beliefs. His story begins with the captivating myth of his abduction and King Arthur’s role in the search to get him back. According to ancient texts, Mabon was stolen from his mother, modron as an infant and hasn’t been seen since. His name means, “The Divine Son” and “The Son of Light”. He was the God of sex, love, magic, prophecy, and power. The sun god Mabon is also known as the Welsh and Gaulish god Maponos. Mabon, is often depicted as youthful and vibrant, personifies the essence of youth within Celtic mythology. His story of being freed from his imprisonment in a cavern. To than be able to aimlessly wander the land free, is another fall story of transition from the caverns of darkness back to bounty of the earth above.

Chang’e: Chinese goddess of the moon

Chang’e is the ethereal Chinese Goddess of the Moon, she is known for her captivating beauty, her immortality, and her connection to lunar cycles. Legends tell the story of her ascent to the moon, where she resides and is admired by people from afar. In this story, she was the wife of a heroic archer who was rewarded for his services to the gods by a gift of the elixir of immortality. In her husband’s absence, she stole the potion and drank it herself. Which then caused her to float up to the heavens where she lived out her immortality away from her beloved, as the moon.She is often depicted as a woman with long black hair, pale skin, red lips, and flowing robes. Her name translates to “the beautiful Cháng”. She is celebrated in poems and novels, and some people worship her during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Freyr or Frey: Norse god of fertility, peace, and good weather

Freyr or Frey was the god of fertility, peace, and good weather in Norse mythology.Freyr is Lord over the Earth and of the bounty of the Earth. Freyr was worshiped across Scandinavia (particularly in Sweden), where he was celebrated at weddings and harvest feasts. Freyr was among the most prominent of Vanir deities alongside his twin sister Freya. Freyr possessed the power of prosperity and well-being in regards to wealth, health, fertility, and bountiful harvests. Freyr was responsible for the Germanic peoples fertile well-being and prosperity. Including holding power over food production made Freyr one of the most important well-known Nordic gods throughout Germanic history. This is why we see him celebrated and honored during this festival, to honor the harvest and bounty he has brought.

Freyr also has ties to the elves and Yggdrasil. Freyr is considered an ancestor to the Yngling line, he might have even once been a real person. Then, following his death, he was buried in the earth among the other ancestors who were also called the Alfar (Elves). In other writings he is said to live in Yggdrasil. After Freyr was born, he was given a gift to commemorate his first tooth, which is a Norse tradition. That gift was Alfheim, one of the nine worlds in the branches of Yggdrasil and home to the elves. It’s not clear if this actually makes Freyr the ruler of Alfheim, but it certainly was his home.

Inari: Shinto kami of rice and prosperity

Inari is one of Japan’s most famous and beloved Kami, worshipped in both Shinto and Buddhist shrines commonly alongside Amaterasu. Inari is the kami of rice, tea, sake, agriculture, industry and prosperity. Inari is also associated with foxes called Kitsunes, who are said to be Inari’s messengers and protectors of the rice harvest. Inari is another unique deity being depicted as gender fluid. They are sometimes depicted as a bearded man on a white fox, or as a woman with long hair carrying sheaves of rice. They are considered the protector of grains, which are crucial for the survival of Japan and it’s people. During the O-Inari-san Festival in the fall we can express gratitude and requests for favor from the kami, Inari.

Keep in mind unlike other practices, Shintoism celebrates the harvest in the spring, and thanks the deity for the previous season’s crops in the fall. These festivals, are known as aki matsuri (autumn festivals).

How to connect to and work with these deities

Everyone’s relationship with deities is different and we all work with and believe in them differently. You might believe in multiple gods and goddesses and work with them each as though they are close, personal friends. Or maybe you believe the gods are reflections of Universal energy and simply archetype energies that you can learn a lesson from. However you incorporate deities in your practice is up to you. But here are some ideas to get you started on ways to work with any or all of these deities of the fall. Remember; it’s important to approach them with respect, reverence, gratitude and by building a relationship with them. Every time you work with a deity it is an even energetic exchange; which means what you put into your intention when working with them and building your relationship to them is what you get back.

  • Refresh your altar and add any of them to it. Or create a new one. Use any of the correspondences listed for each deity above that resonates with you!
  • Cast a spell for family, home and hearth to bring gratitude for the bountiful harvest into you home. Or cast spells to light your hearth with goddess Hestia
  • Begin prepping and planning for the winter allowing the deities of fall to help you prepare to transition from the season of light and warmth to dark and cold
  • Work with apples, grain, or corn in kitchen magic to bring the deity into your meals, baked offerings, and home
  • Cast spells to help with personal transition or transformation allowing the deities of the transitional season to guide you through the process
  • Give thanks for the fall harvest. There are many ways to do this one of my favorites is bringing offerings of thanks and leaving it at the edge of fields and/or orchards for the deity you are thanking for this bountiful harvest
  • Use leaf magic to ask for blessings from the deities of fall
  • Go on a nature walk to mindfully connect to the deities in nature while the seasons change
  • Make a simmer pot to call in transition, balance, gratitude, or a plentiful harvest into you home and family for the long dark winter to come
  • make a manifestation leaf wreath or garland and on each leaf either write a prayer or a blessing to the deities. Once done place the wreath on your altar to honor the deity. Or leave it at a field that is about the be harvested for gratitude and thanks. You can even hang it in your home to connect to deity throughout fall.
  • Spend time in Nature grounding and/or earthing to connect to the energy of the deities all around you and call to them for guidance, and connection while you transition with the season around you.
  • Have a ritual bonfire with family and friends for the harvest and Mabon and invite the deities to join by placing representations of them around the fire or give offerings to it for them.
  • Shadow work based on; duality, planning, gratitude, transition, and rebirth. Doing shadow work with deities connected to this very transitional time will allow you to walk in and out of the liminal space with ease. If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here;  and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here. 
  • Invite the deities to your dinner table during your fall equinox meal. Set them their own plate and leave their seat empty for them to choose to take.

Conclusion

However you choose to include the deities of Mabon and the fall equinox into your celebrations, festivals, and rituals; remember this is not only a time for celebration, but also for reflection and preparation. Allow the deities to encourage contemplation of life’s balances—light with dark, activity with rest, and abundance with scarcity. Allow them to show you the equilibrium that is reflected in the equal length of day and night and the cycle of seasons and life. Walk hand and hand with them down the rows of apple trees, stalks of corn, or wheat fields giving thanks for the bounty you see. Then let them guide you in and out of the shadows of the trees as you catch the vibrant falling leaves.

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Working With The Powerful, Protective, And Transformative Gorgon Goddess; Medusa

The legend of Medusa is well-known in greek mythology. It tells of a beautiful woman transformed into a gorgon: who some would consider to be a hideous monster with venomous serpents for hair. She is feared by many, especially men. This is because, she is incredibly misunderstood. Due to the fact that most of her myth and story isn’t commonly told and her tragic beginning many have tried to have lost in the waters of time. The truth behind the myth of Medusa doesn’t start with Perseus. It doesn’t even start with Medusa being cursed by Athena. It starts long before that, with the god of the sea Poseidon.

Because of her story many pagans and witches, especially women chose to work with her as a goddess. She’s a powerful symbol of transformation. Transformation of anger and pain into passion and drive, accountability for oneself and growing from it. Seeing ourselves for who we truly are at our core, and approaching your obstacles and challenges with ferocity. Her name says it all; “Medusa” means “guardian, or protectress”. As a Gorgon, Medusa also represents a primordial force of chaos and destruction, embodying the untamed and unpredictable aspects of the natural world. Her petrifying gaze can be interpreted as a reminder of the inherent danger and potential for devastation that exists within the natural order. She uses it to protect others, especially women. And to show others their true nature; if they choose to take from another something they have no right to take.

Let go of your fear about her and come with me to stare into the slithering snakes upon her head to learn the truth about her myth, how she is much more than a monster but, a goddess who was demonized, and how to work with her.

Who Is Medusa?

Most view Medusa as a monster and they would be partially correct, but she is a goddess as well born of divine blood. Medusa is a complex being whose name evokes different emotions: fear, awe, anger, fascination and even courage. Her name means “guardian” or “protectress”. Medusa was born to two sea deities Ceto and Phorcyos, along with her sisters, Euryale (The far springer) and Stheno ( the mighty or strong). For some reason I can’t quite figure out why, but Medusa was mortal unlike her sisters. Medusa was shockingly beautiful as a mortal. She had long, silky hair and a beautiful body. She was a devotee of the Goddess Athena. Medusa was loyal to Athena and vowed to follow her path.

Medusa The Guardian and Protector

Medusa is a very powerful goddess to work with for protection. I mean her name says it all; “Medusa” means “guardian, or protectress”. Medusa literally means the definition of power and being the powerful one. Not only that but, she was devoted to Athena and had learned many forms of protection while guarding her temple. Which allows her to lend her guardianship to those who seek it when they call to her. Don’t forget her origin either which adds even more power behind her protection. Born of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, it is often forgotten that Medusa herself is a goddess of the sea. Which is a place of immense power and has the capability to do serious damage to the earth and humans if it chooses to. Her rage which she calls on for protection, is as powerful as the most ravenous hurricane and has the ability to drown those who seek to harm her.

Medusa The Demonized Victim

Medusa’s story is the tale of the deep cut of society’s knife: creating, blaming, and demonizing the victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Medusa’s tale is unfortunately a common one in myths and legends especially for the greek pantheon. It’s a tale of a beautiful women being defiled by a man who decided he would take something without permission. But, with Medusa she gets victimized even further after her rape and is turned into, what many consider a monster instead of getting protection from the goddess she served. This happening to her, leads to her story being retold in a way that paints her as a monster instead of the victim and to many erases her trauma completely. Which eventually leads to her murder and many thinking she was just another monster being slain by a hero. Instead of a victim of multiple gods and society, whose rage is justified and used to protect others from befalling the same fate.

Medusa The Goddess Of Femininity

Medusa is also known as a goddess of femininity, fertility, and menstruation. During her story we see representations of all phases of fertility and the aspects of women from her vow of chastity, her loss of that through the violation of rape, her hair being turned into a symbol of fertility the snakes, and the birth of children at her death. We also see it in many of her descriptions as a maiden and being a very beautiful one at that. Medusa’s power extends to those who need aid in these areas, so seek her out if you’re looking for guidance while trying to conceive or experiencing any sort of reproductive health issues.

Medusa’s Connection To Snakes

When she is cursed by Athena she acquires her famous hair made of snakes, when she is transformed into a gorgon. This has great significance to who she is, what she represents, and the powers she holds. When we look at the symbolism of snakes themselves they represent; fertility, a closeness to the earth, and the continued cycle of shedding in life. We see these themes throughout her story and who she is. She goes through many different changes in her story. Where she sheds many different skins from a mortal temple maiden, to a violated victim, what some view as a fearsome monster, and finally a mother upon her death.

Medusa’s Birth and Sisters

As we dive deeper into greek mythology medusa’s’ origin, and family is something that for me seems to be unique to most prominent figures in the pantheon. I say this because, usually there is a plethora of information with many differences in details. But, with medusa we don’t have a lot of information about her origin and family and what we do have I can only find one place of difference in her family history. So, who is her family and what is her origin?

Medusa was one of the daughters of the primordial sea-god Phorcys and his sister and wife, Ceto, deities of the hidden dangers of the deep and large sea creatures, like the kraken. She had siblings as well, two sisters named; Euryale (The far springer) and Stheno ( the mighty or strong). The three of them together are commonly known now, as the three gorgon sisters. But, their origin and identities is where we have differences with her family.

In many of the stories, the sisters were all BORN Gorgons not turned into them, while in others only Stheno and Euryale were. In some tales, specifically Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the most commonly known version of her story. Medusa was born MORTAL and was turned into a gorgon, while her sisters were already immortal. In that version of the story her sisters were turned into gorgons alongside her since they attempted to protect her from Athena. All three of the sisters were close and they fiercely loved and protected each other and we see that in every version of the story. Even when medusa was murdered her sisters heard it, and immediately went to take chase of the killer. When they failed they went back to their island to mourn. It’s said to have moved Athena so much, that she modeled after it the mournful music of the double pipe, the aulos.

The Story Of Medusa

Medusa the Priestess to Athena and Poseidon

The story of Medusa first appeared in Ovid’s work. There are now two versions to the beginning of her myth and story. Let me tell you the most commonly known and accepted version first.

Medusa was a priestess to Athena. Athens is the goddess of war and wisdom. She is also one of the virgin goddesses. Part of the requirements of being a priestess to Athena would have included Medusa promising to remain chaste while in service.

One day while Medusa was out gathering water for service in the temple, Poseidon happens to come upon her and he sees her. Medusa was rumored to be incredibly beautiful. So, as to what happens next; something far to common in many greek myths; Poseidon sees her, wants her, and decides she is his to take even amidst her rejections. It is said that she ran to the Temple of Athena seeking protection.

I mean why wouldn’t she? It was nearby, she was a servant to her, she protected women’s Chastity, and her and poseidon weren’t exactly friends either. But, Protection isn’t what she got. Poseidon rapes Medusa on the floor of the Temple of Athena.

Athena comes and sees that her temple has been defiled. She doesn’t blame her fellow god though; she blames the mortal Medusa. Medusa’s sisters come to her defense and thus suffer part of the punishment. Athena curses Medusa with a head full of snakes, and that any man who looks at her will be turned to stone. This punishment turned Medusa into a monster that is isolated from the world of men thus she can never be near another man again for breaking her vow of celibacy.

The second version of the beginning of her myth looks at the goddess Athena and what some call a curse a little differently. The initial telling of this myth depicts Athena acting out in anger and Athena punishing her. But, in this version Athena’s response is one from a place of understanding and concern. After all, Medusa took a vow of celibacy; she never wanted to be touched in the first place.

Instead of looking at it from the view of a curse look at it as a gift. Athena then gifts Medusa with a special weapon that frees her from the possibility of ever suffering such an assault ever again. From then on, men would fear the very sight of her, and Medusa would be protected from the unwanted touch of them. She wouldn’t have to deal with being violated, ever again. Those snakes on her head and her gaze to turn others into stone were truly a gift of protection and compassion in this version of the myth.

I also think that Medusa wanted the power of the snakes especially after what she went through. Though the transition may have been difficult, she probably chose to live this life in order to feel safe and protected. Medusa is all about finding your own inner power and using it. This power also allows her to protect others and stop them from having to suffer they way she had too.

Medusa and Perseus

In what is probably the most popular myth about the story of Medusa, the so-called hero Perseus was sent to slay Medusa.

The Greek “hero” Perseus is sent to take Medusa’s head in order to save his mother from marrying a selfish, evil king. Perseus was granted help by the gods in the form of divine tools. From Athena, Perseus received a mirrored shield. He uses this shield to gaze upon Medusa without being turned to stone and then he beheads her with a divine sword. A key note here as well, in most versions he waited until Medusa was asleep. But from Medusa’s tragic death springs new life and beauty; because every time the gods have sex a child is born. So at the moment Perseus cuts off her head, a Pegasus flies out of her body and is born. And the giant Chrysaor was born through the wound in her neck. Their father being Poseidon who had impregnated her during her rape. After the battle Perseus returns and gives the head to Athena, who in turn places it on her shield, protecting her as she goes into battle from than on.

Once this story comes into play it’s hard to imagine that Athena had good intentions in mind when cursing Medusa to begin with. Ultimately, it’s Athena’s tool that leads to her death. Why would a deity she served and gifted her with protection, than later provide the man with the tool to kill her? So, I will leave that up to you to decide how you feel about it.

No matter the point-of-view you believe of these tales, there is one common theme: Medusa befalls tragedies that no woman or man should have to suffer. As a result, she is persecuted further by the very goddess she sought to serve. Her rage is unmet, and her ferocity is as deep and as strong as the seas. It’s a story about society creating, blaming, and demonizing the victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Medusa’s Worship In History

Medusa and an image of a gorgan shows up in other cultures as well outside of Greece. People would carve her image over their doors to ward off evil and protect their homes. Medusa’s name in ancient Greek means “to guard and protect.” They recently discovered an amulet with the head of Medusa on it carried by a Roman soldier to England. Anthropologists believe that Roman soldiers would carry her image with them in their travels as protection. It’s even said, Medusa’s head was ultimately buried under the agora at Argos.

There is also the thought and belief that has become more popular recently, that there existed a matriarchal religion that she become the center of after her curse. Which is what led to her beheading, murder, and the demonization of her story after that throughout history. The gods sent Perseus to slay her and the threat to the very patriarchal religion and society of Greece.

What Is A Gorgon?

Medusa was transformed into a gorgon and is considered to be a gorgon goddess so what is one? It’s thought that the word gorgon comes from the word gorgos which means fierce or terrible which makes sense when you look at their description. Gorgons are described as winged serpentine creatures. Their bodies are covered in scales and they have large, round heads with snakes sprouting from them instead of hair. Most of the sources I have read claim those snakes are venomous as well. Some poets even went so far as to describe their boar-like tusks and massive lolling tongue. Their large eyes are not often remembered, for they transform you to stone at a moment’s glance. The gorgons originate from Greek mythology and we only see 3 mentioned by name in texts and poems; Medusa the queen and her two sisters. Other than that we do not know if others exist or its simply these three sister as a result of Medusa’s curse. I lean towards that others exist since we have similar creatures like Nagas in other cultures as well.

What Does Medusa Look Like?

It’s said that Medusa was incredibly beautiful before she was transformed. She has been described by the Poet Ovid as having a beautiful face and long, flowing hair. I have to note many poets wrote of the maiden as a seductress despite her chastity bonds. But, you have to remember who the author is and that most of them were men. So, was she really a seductress or just a beautiful young women confident in her own body? However, once transformed, Medusa’s appearance tremendously changed. She had been transformed into a gorgon and her appearance changed to resemble that. It was said though by some poets including Pindar that she still appeared as a beautiful women underneath the scales and snakes for hair, unlike her sisters.

Medusa’s Gaze

Medusa has many powers but, her most famous power: the ability to turn men to stone is probably the most intriguing. It’s very important to note that throughout all the myths and epic poems, I have read, there is never once a record of her ever turning any woman to stone with her deadly gaze. Which really shows us that she uses it as a way to protect women. To take vengeance upon those who have taken advantage of women and binding those who intend to do them harm. It also shows the emphasis on her power lying in the feminine shadow and her connection to femininity.

Her gaze not only is a powerful weapon men fear, but it has a lot of symbolism for those who work with her to ponder. Medusa’s gaze can represent the inability to face certain truths or confronting one’s fears. To the point they leave us paralyzed in life or stuck. Medusa’s gaze can also represent the contrast between romantic idealism and reality. Avoiding looking into her eyes can represent avoiding our reality and the reality of the cosmos around us. So, when we choose to gaze into them we become paralyzed by the overwhelm of reality.

Medusa And Duality

Since I am a grey witch every single energy I work with I look at how it can help me maintain balance and how it can represent the cosmic energy of duality. Medusa embodies the complexity and duality of human nature. On one hand, she is depicted as a monster capable of petrifying men. But prior to that she was once a beautiful woman who was betrayed by the goddess she served. This duality reflects the intricate nature of humanity, showcasing how individuals can possess both positive vs negative or wanted vs unwanted aspects within themselves.

She also shows us the complex duality that exist within being a victim. Being victimized, abused, or violated can push us into a place of darkness, despair and deep hurting. It can set you back in your mental health, your life, and your journey to healing. Which doesn’t allow you to transform into your true self. Or instead we can take that pain and darkness and turn it into personal power and our ultimate weapon to protect ourselves. Just like we see Medusa do. She could have taken the curse and hid away but, instead she uses it to protect herself and others who come to her seeking it with a rage as fierce as a hurricane.

Correspondences To Connect To Medusa

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 an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently, or a deity, like I will list below for you to use. Keep in mind there isn’t written documentation in antiquity that will give you this list for her. This list is compiled by my own personal experience with her, and aligning with each of her energies we can connect too.

  • Animal-Snakes, reptiles,
  • Element-Water
  • Sex- Feminine
  • Symbol- snakes, Aegis, the sea or ocean, gorgons, the maiden, the pegasus, seashells,
  • colors- silver, green, black
  • Themes- protection, victimization, femininity, justice, beauty, the ocean/water, banishing, transformation, personal power, female empowerment, standing up for yourself, sisterhood, binding, paralysis, rage, fertility, menstruation, wisdom, feminine shadow, healing
  • Herbs- nettle, mugroot, sage, mandrake, frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, lavender, black cohosh, sea kelp
  • Stones/ crystals- Serpentine, black obsidian, smokey quartz, aquamarine, bloodstone, Labradorite, malachite, black tourmaline, moss agate,snakeskin jasper, tigers eye

How To Know Medusa Is Calling To Work With You

I get asked this question every time I write or teach about a goddess and even though some consider her a monster, for many witches and pagans, myself included she comes to them as a goddess. Remember, signs and messages appear in many different ways and are unique to the individual. It’s ultimately up to you to discern by opening up your clares, paying attention and listening to your intuition. Also, remember you can choose to work with her as well even if you don’t feel her calling to you. You can be the one to begin building that relationship by reaching out. Below is a list of some ways that you may know she is reaching out to you.

  • You hear her name randomly throughout the day or think of her often
  • She pops up around you in your life like in tv, movies, games, social media, books etc.
  • You get gifted something that is related to her
  • You see the symbol of snakes or actual snakes often cross your path
  • If you live near an ocean and you keep finding big chunks of coral
  • She appears to you in a vision, dream, meditation, or prayer
  • You are going through a time of transition, and shedding of your identity
  • When you are trying to conceive
  • If you are having issues with your femininity and/or menstrual cycle
  • You need protection especially if you are a woman seeking protection from a man
  • Seeking justice against someone who has violated you
  • You are working on healing sexual trauma
  • If you experience an awakening at a cave and/or body of water especially the ocean
  • If you feel called to work in women’s rights or volunteer at a women’s shelter
  • You are going through a time where society or your family is ostracizing you
  • You are ready to stand in your own power
  • You have been paralyzed in life or stuck and are ready to move forward
  • You have a deep bond with your sisters or are looking to create a deep bond
  • You are recovering from domestic violence

Ways To Work With and Connect To Medusa

Everyone’s relationship with deities is different and we all work with and believe in them differently. You might believe in multiple gods and goddesses and work with them each as though they are close, personal friends. Or maybe you believe the old gods are reflections of Universal energy and simply archetype energies that you can learn a lesson from. However you incorporate deities in your practice is up to you. If you need help to figure this out you can purchase my eBook here on the Introduction to working with pagan deities.

But here are some ideas to get you started on ways to work with Medusa. Remember; it’s important to approach her with respect, reverence, gratitude and by building a relationship with her. Every time you work with a deity it is an even energetic exchange; which means what you put into your intention when working with them and building your relationship to them is what you get back.

Study, get to know her

As with every deity I have ever written about or taught about, The first way to get to know a deity, specifically a goddess like Medusa is to study all you can about her. I’ll be honest finding information on her can be a little scarce but, you can start by going back to the mythology section of this blog and go read the myths and stories she is in like; the different tellings of her rape, and being cursed, and her Murder at the hand of Perseus. Take time to consider how you interpret her story as well. Did Athena curse her and she turned it into a powerful tool of protection? Or did she give Medusa a gift to protect her from all men going forward? But, if that is the case why did she later gift perseus with the tool that led to her death? There is a lot to think about with her when learning about her, to build your relationship with her. Make sure to Learn about her sisters the other gorgons as well since they have such a fierce bond. You can even, study the culture, region, and worship of the people of Greece where she is from. The more you study and learn the better! When working with a deity it is all about building a true relationship with them and you do this first by getting to know who they are.

Dedicate Altar Space

Set aside some space in honor of Medusa. This can be an elaborate large altar or as simple as a small shelf or corner of a counter. Place a representation of Medusa there; be sure to cleanse the space before you invite her in. Include all of her colors, her symbols, and representations of snakes and any of her other correspondences you can use to connect to her. This will be a container that reminds you to connect with her and her energy. To allow you a container of protection, connecting to your power, and shedding your skin in transformation. Make sure when you create an altar for her that you keep poseidon far from it even though they both are connected to the oceans. I also don’t allow Athena near her either but, that will depend on your interpretation of her role in Medusa’s story. Remember to NEVER put a mirror or reflective item on her altar. It will turn her stone and it’s just disrespectful to represent the tool that led to her murder.

To learn more about altars and how to work with them in your practice you can read about it here in my study guide on my previous class taught at Divination Academy, on the topic; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cY9IKfLJgV-YBI76DCAtPAuwC6tSXdzh/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107019596187888016346&rtpof=true&sd=true

Offerings

Everyone loves receiving gifts, and that includes deities like Medusa. You don’t have to give her offerings every day, but when you feel it is appropriate. You can place these offerings at your altar or if you live near a body of water you can place them at the shoreline.You can even place them at the mouth of a cave if you have one available to you. You can also give her offerings when performing any work to connect to her like meditation, prayer, visualization, and spellwork. Below I will list some of the best offerings you can give her, but keep in mind these are just some ideas from my own personal experience with her and her corresponding energies. Just follow your intuition.

  • Seawater or representations of the sea
  • Pieces of coral
  • Plates of seafood and wine
  • snake skins or representations of snakes
  • seashells, driftwood, or other things found washed up on the shoreline
  • Evil eye charms
  • Any of the correspondences listed above like herbs and crystals that associate with her
  • sand
  • hagstone
  • Pearls
  • Seaweed
  • sea salt
  • Image or statue of her; especially of her gaze
  • Serving others in need especially women

Call on her during protection spells and magic

The Goddess Medusa is a known guardian, so she lends her aid to those who need her protection. If you are seeking aid or guardianship after a domestic dispute, a violation, or after being demonized, evoke the power of Medusa. With her ability to turn men to stone, when you call on her gaze for protection she is able to assist in some of the most potent bindings I have done. She can help bind those particularly, who pose a threat to women. She is also an intense force for justice and female empowerment which can be used in protection spells that challenge your enemies, allow you to face your deepest fears and to hex those who have abused or violated you. The goddess Medusa is a fierce force to aid you in protection. She rages with the force of a hurricane to assist you to stand up for yourself, seek vengeance, and break free from any chains, those who have hurt still bind you in.

Work With the Snake

Medusa is the goddess of snakes. The snake is her familiar and fierce protector. If you want to work with Medusa the snake should become an ally of yours. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to own one as a pet but, you can add them to your magical workings. You can work with them as a spirit guide or familar depending on your belief system. When working with them in that way, the snake or serpents can guide you to universal truths, cosmic knowledge, the shedding of skins, and profound healing. Lastly, you can even use the image of the snake in protection workings or snakeskins being added as spell ingredients, like in spell jars.

Shadow work To understand your own personal power

Just like with every other deity I have ever written or taught about shadow work is a phenomenal way to connect to and work with the goddess Medusa. I find that the most important thing Medusa will teach you is how to use your power. She’ll show you that you don’t need to be afraid of power and that the innate power you have inside of you is already strong and beautiful; you simply need to learn how to use it. She will show you through shadow work how powerful you truly can be, when you become the best version of yourself. When you don’t allow your emotions, past traumas, and the actions of others to drown you but, to empower you and fill you with rage!

If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here;  and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here. And don’t forget to register for new 6 week workshop series Embracing your shadow here!

Meditation, visualization and Dream work

One of the best ways to channel divine energy and tap into goddesses like Medusa is through meditation, visualization and dreaming. These practices allow you to open up and receive/ connect to divine energy in a very intuitive, clear, and transformative way. You will find a plethora of guided meditations on YouTube that will lead you to your spirit guide or god/goddess.. Try those if you have a hard time meditating on your own. I have many classes on youtube as well on previous deities you can watch where I even summon and guide you to them in sacred container. In addition, ask Medusa to visit you in your dreams and teach you lessons that you currently need to learn. Then record every encounter with her in your journal, book of shadows, or grimoire.

Ward off the Evil eye

Because of Medusa’s fearsome looks, her image was used for centuries in ancient Greece to ward off the evil eye. We see her image used in antiquity on soldiers armor, pieces of jewelry, and above the doors of homes. So, you to can use her image as a way to ward it off still today. You can carry an image of her with you or wear an amulet with one on it. You can even place it at the threshold of your home or above your doorway.

Water based magic

Medusa is a sea goddess. Because of this, all water-related magic, including working with the sea, storm magic, water scrying, and elemental magic. Water magic encompasses themes of emotions, intuition, healing, and spiritual transformation. It allows witches to dive deep into their emotions, heal past wounds, and connect with their inner wisdom. You can connect to this aspect of her for guidance when you need strong feminine power and the innately intuitive energy of water in your rituals. Or for spiritual and healing energy for true transformation.

Mirror Magic

Mirror gazing is a profound and symbolic aspect of working with the goddess Medusa, as it allows you to connect with the essence of her reflective power. The mirror, as a tool in your magical practice, represents introspection, self-reflection, and the power of seeing beyond the surface. This practice serves as a potent gateway to tap into Medusa’s transformative energy while acknowledging her famous mirrored shield. To learn more about mirror magic and how to add one of my favorite types of magic to your magic you can read my guide here.

Prayers

One very powerful way to connect to a deity is through prayer. Things to Pray for: protection, power, healing from sexual trauma, aid with rage, justice, female empowerment, understanding and unlocking your own personal power, fertility, transformation, shedding an identity, breaking free from abusive bonds

Prayer To Medusa

This prayer is written by me and one I use especially during shadow work with her. You won’t find any written prayers from antiquity so, this is one you can use or you can follow your intuition and write your own.

I call to you dear goddess Medusa, the one who some call a monster But, I see your snakes as the protectors they are
I call to you dear goddess Medusa now is the time for me to shed my skin
To take my pain, my abuse, and violations committed against me and turn them into a fierce personal power
I call to you dear goddess Medusa to show me the way through your gaze
Guiding me into the depths of my emotions for healing and transformation and justice.
Dear goddess Medusa guide me so I may leave the seas within myself ready to rage with the power of hurricane behind me. To stand my ground in the face of any adversity.
To seek justice and vengeance against those who have abused and violated me.
Lend me your hair of snakes to petrify those who wish me harm into stone for eternity.

Fight for women’s rights and empowerment

Lastly, In recent years, Medusa has become a symbol of female empowerment. A statue was erected in Manhattan outside of the courthouse where Weinstein was brought to stand trial for numerous acts of assault against women even! Medusa stands proud and strong, holding Perseus’ severed head in her hand. In this we see the symbolic representation of women standing up against their abuser, and ultimately getting the justice owed to them. So, one great way to work with and connect to Medusa is by Standing up for women’s rights in whatever way you can and invoking the fierce, protective energy of Medusa the goddess. You can do things like join your local pro abortion activism group, volunteer at a domestic violence shelter, lobby at your local government for pro women legislation, vote, or become a sexual assault advocate.

Why work with Medusa?

So, after all we have talked about why should you work with Medusa? Working with the goddess Medusa encourages you to dive deep into a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and trust in your inner power. Embracing Medusa is fundamental for personal growth and transformation. Medusa’s mythology, is a testament to the enduring strength and resilience that resides within her. About taking what was meant to be a curse and turning it into an ultimate tool for protection. Through the things that befall her, being victimized, and her many transformations, she emerged as a symbol of empowerment and fierce protection. Teaching us that even in the face of adversity, our inner strength can prevail. By trusting your inner power, you are aligning with Medusa’s spirit of unwavering resilience, rage, and justice. This trust in your inner power becomes the driving force for personal growth, resilience, protection and empowerment, aligning you with the essence of the goddess Medusa.

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Working with Lady Nada as an ascended master of the pink ray light

Beyond our ancestors, angels and spirit guides are there any guides willing to help us reach enlightenment? Willing and ready to help bring humanity into the next dimension and achieve harmony with one another and all that is? The answer is a resounding YES. They are called Ascended Masters in the spiritual community.

Revered as an ascended master and divine healer, Lady Nada’s spiritual mission ties with love, compassion, and healing, personal development, law/justice and ministering to others, reflecting her very nurturing, loyal, and devoted essence. She is connected to the mystical and elusive lands of Atlantis and the concept of twin flames and is also revered as the Chohan of the Pink Ray of divine love. She brings to those who choose to work with her knowledge of transformation and healing in all forms. She is gentle and kind but has a very strong focus with strength and empowerment within her. Let me guide you to the compassionate, loving, and devoted Lady Nada as an ascended master of the pink ray light in this blogpost.

First, what is an ascended Master?

Before we dive into the depths of love that is chohan Lady nada we must first talk about what an ascended master is. Especially if this is your first time working with one. I have already taught an in depth class on this topic as well with Divination Academy. You can watch it here.

The term “Ascended Masters” is somewhat new but the concept is ancient and crosses cultures worldwide. This group of spiritual beings has been guiding us since the beginning of time. It’s just that they’ve been called something else, including bodhisattvas, gods, saints, light elves, valkyries, the Hidden Company, psychopomps, the Mighty Dead, the Great White Lodge, archangels, Tzaddikim, archetypes, the galactic council, loa and more. As you learn more about these Ascended Masters, you’ll notice they can all be classified as something else. But the truth is, they are all elevated souls that are committed to helping humanity in its ascension.

Some were incarnated in a human body, while others have never incarnated. For those who came into an earthly body, after death they merged with their higher selves, sometimes called “light bodies” (Penczak, Ascension Magick). If we were to define a spiritual hierarchy between us and the Divine/Source, Ascended Masters would lie in between…in the middle. They are, essentially, mediums or channels of the Divine. And we can reach out and connect with these Ascended Masters in order to receive the Divine’s blessings and enlightenment. In this way Ascended Masters will act as guides, but their teaching is of the highest possible vibration and focused on ascension- helping you to raise your vibration and expand your consciousness.

In the past some thought to have an Ascended Master as a guide was rare, and something reserved only for advanced, old souls… But today it’s not rare at all. Today, we live in ascension times and everyone I’ve ever met, or seen or heard of, has had at least one Ascended Master with them.

Ascended Master Teachings

The Ascended Master Teachings, a collection of philosophies stemming from Theosophy but expanding on its foundational principles. These teachings offered more detail about the identities, histories, and roles of the Ascended Masters. Within the teachings, Ascended Master Lady Nada was recognized as a guide and healer, associated with divine love and compassion.

Later we see, The Bridge to Freedom, another branch of teachings based off Theosophy founded by Geraldine Innocente in the 1950s, which also played a crucial role in shaping Lady Nada’s narrative. Here, Lady Nada’s role was further refined, associating her with the concept of Twin Flames and further linking her to healing through the Pink Ray and Rose Flame.

Ascended Masters Vs Spirit Guides

Before we go any further talking about the ascended master Lady nada we must also discuss the difference between ascended masters and spirit guides. There is a difference between the two even though this is a debate of difference within personal practice. Some consider ascended masters simply a type of spirit guide and some do not. I follow the path that they are not. 

The main difference between spirit guides and Ascended Masters, is that the Ascended Masters have fully ascended, while spirit guides have not.

Ascended Masters are free from the wheel of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth.  Now, from the realms of spirit they continue to walk their ascension path. Many Ascended Masters also choose to support and guide people on their ascension paths. To learn more about spirit guides, you can read more here in the study guide from my class with Divination Academy.

How Karma Relates To Ascended Masters

We all have karma or some version of it,  with the word “karma” meaning “to learn” which implies we all have lessons to learn. Which can be carried over from past lives and actions you’ve taken during your current life. However, with every pure action, you take from a soul level, for the greater good coming from love. This begins the process of clearing any “karmic debt” and putting you on the path to ascension and ending the karmic cycle of having to reincarnate in a physical human form.

Why It’s Worth Listening To The Ascended Masters Like Lady Nada

Ascended masters like lady nada were able to ascend by aligning with divine qualities and their true soul’s purpose and perspective, ascending above the limited views of the ego. Like connecting to and living the qualities of divine love. Doing this has led to their enlightenment and ascending this physical realm.

Which makes them not only divine wise beings but, they’re also spiritual teachers that understand through their own experiences the struggles and challenges that you are going through. Including heartbreak, betrayal, not understanding your true worth as a spiritual being, and how your temporary human form is just a drop in the ocean. The ocean that we are all connected by as one, temporary being expressed as a single drop.

The Seven Rays

When Working with an Ascended Master like Lady Nada you need to have a basic understanding of the seven rays of light. By understanding and following the path of the seven rays with the assistance of an ascended masters like lady nada you will uncover many hidden secrets, cosmic knowledge, and your most authentic self. You will know the once hidden secrets of the 7 rays and their qualities. Which are manifestations of the oneness we are all connected to and come from, and how to use them to accelerate your spiritual growth. Including assistance with almost anything else in your life, you desire including, healing, finding purpose, love, and more.

The seven rays are subdivisions that make up the main source of energy that we all come from and are linked to the oneness of all that is. The seven rays are an expression from the creator, God, the divine, the source, and qualities of the oneness everyone and everything comes from. The seven rays are living intelligent sources of divine light that give life to everything in the universe.

Each ray is governed by a Chohan (lord) also known as an ascended master that Rules over that ray. Chohan’ originates from Tibetan Buddhism and is often translated as ‘Lord’ or ‘Master.’ In the context of Ascended Masters and the Seven Rays of Light, a Chohan like Lady Nada is seen as the steward or overseer of a particular ray, embodying its qualities like love and guiding its use in the spiritual development of humanity.

Even though there is a lot behind the teachings of the seven rays that go far back in history. The main teachings are that each of the rays contains lessons for different paths of spiritual growth. And by learning all of these lessons you will understand and embody divine unconditional love.

There is currently a huge energetic shift happening on our planet and by being out of alignment or not learning the lessons from every ray. This will cause you to feel like something is missing or unstable in your life, even if on the surface by cultural standards you have everything together and are “successful”.

Who is Lady Nada?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what and ascended master is, and why you should be working with one, who is the ascended mater Lady Nada?

In one incarnation, Lady Nada is said to have worked on Atlantis in the healing arts and served as a priestess in the Temple of Love. She served in the Temple of Love, dedicating her divine work to fostering the spiritual attributes of love and compassion. She also was known as a lawyer on Atlantis, where she pioneered the efforts of divine justice for the unfortunate or forgotten members of society.

Lady Nada is all about awakening our heart center, and bringing us to divine love. Lady Nada opens our hearts to receive the divine love that we deserve and she also expands our heart to reveal the true, authentic, natural aspect of our very soul essence. Her role in the Temple of Love was not just to worship the concept of love but to emanate this divine feeling throughout Atlantis and beyond. By extending this vibration, she aimed to create a harmonious unity among its inhabitants.

Lady Nada was a high priestess working in not only the temple of love but, it was also known as the temple of self-transformation. She had great knowledge and understanding of the physical karma that affected the spirit and soul through the higher self that needed to be cleared. She had learned many techniques of healing such as sound, color, manifestation, working with crystals, working with anointing oils, herbs and counselling techniques, to heal the whole body. She taught this to the Priest’s and Priestesses of Atlantis that worked with her to heal the population that came to the temple.

Some even believe one of her incarnations she was the mother of John the Baptist, Lady Nada Portia. She was well known for her feminine energy and her beauty. Lady Nada focused on and worked with the Heart Chakra. This focus allows for the enhancement of feminine energy. She is also known to help balance the feminine energy within masculine spheres. Lady Nada is said to minister the world’s children via scores of angels focused on the youth. Because of this association with children and she helps us opening our heart, she can help us heal our inner child.

Lady Nada’s next life is thought to be in India where early on as a young girl her gifts came through extraordinarily and people were drawn to her she taught as a female guru working in this life time with yoga to help clear energy blocks in the body and working with food groups that can cleanse the body and restore balance.

Today, master Lady Nada is the patroness of teachers, nurses, ministers, lawyers and all those who place the needs of others before their own in their daily activities and choices. Lady Nada’s story demonstrates for us an example of disciplined action, employing the focused goal of selflessness in thought, word and action. It is said Master Lady Nada made her ascension nearly 3,000 years ago.

Lady Nada Chohan Of Divine Love

Lady Nada serves as the Chohan of the 6th Ray, often referred to as the Ray of love, devotion and idealism. I have seen it referred to as the pink ray of light and at times the violet ray of light. But is most commonly accepted as the pink ray of light. The pink Ray is associated with the qualities of love, compassion, service, devotion, and idealism. Lady Nada exemplifies these qualities in her teachings and works to inspire individuals to embody them in their own lives. She encourages the practice of unconditional love and compassion towards oneself and others as a means of spiritual growth and transformation.

The Pink Ray Of Light

Lady Nada can guide individuals on their journey toward emotional healing and teach them the essence of unconditional love. She does this through the guidance and endless compassion and devotion of the pink ray of light. The Pink Ray represents the pure essence of divine love and compassion.

The pink ray of light also known as the Ray of Divine Love, symbolizes the all-encompassing compassion, empathy, and unconditional love that binds all creation. Including the deep importance of extending it to yourself through self love. This Ray is dedicated to nurturing the heart’s wisdom, fostering understanding, harmony, and embracing universal love. It guides individuals to a deeper connection with themselves and others, promoting a loving and compassionate approach to life.

The Pink Ray embraces all parts of your Soul Self which may have fragmented off due to trauma, stress and accidents within your life a well. It comforts and reminds you that love of Self is the key, it is our most important and personal responsibility. That moving through grief and trauma needs to be focused on when healing your inner core and the inner child opening a river of unconditional love to flow through your soul.


Qualities & Attributes
Love: Emphasizes compassion, kindness, and universal love in all endeavors.
Creativity: Encourages imagination, artistic expression, and innovative approaches.
Symbolism
Color: The Third Ray resonates with the color pink, reflecting love, creativity, and harmony.
Element: Often associated with the element of water, symbolizing fluidity, emotional connection, and the gentle flow of love.

Connecting To The Pink Ray Of Light

Connecting to ascended masters can be easier than you might think. Being that the Ascended Masters are ascended, it only makes sense that we work on our own ascension in order to fully connect with them.
The first way we can do this is to raise our vibration. How do we raise our vibration? We hear this phrase a lot in the magical community but often no explanation as to how to actually do it. First thing is purification. Of body, mind, and soul. This means releasing toxic habits and people from our lives. This may even include performing protection magics like chord cuttings, freezer jar spells, and banishing. W e also must clear our minds of negative thought patterns. And purifying our souls through energy work and cleansing rituals. In addition, here’s how else we can raise our vibrations and work with the Ascended Masters.

Meditation
Meditation is when we are in a state of reception. We quiet our minds, bodies, and souls enough to hear the Divine speak to us. We allow the Ascended Masters to show us things, teach us, heal us, communicate with us. Even if you think you’re bad at meditation, I promise you’re not. It takes practice and time. Try guided meditations. Try different kinds of music and atmospheres. You’ll find the right combination. Also make sure you are grounding regularly to help replenish energy to be able to meditate.

Meditation To Speak With Lady Nada

By focusing inwards, on your heart and taking several big deep breaths in through your nose, and exhaling through your mouth until you start to feel relaxed. If you know how to do boxed breathing you can use that skill here as well.
Now, get clear in your mind which ascended master you want to connect with and ask that master out loud or within your mind to come and assist you. This time it will be Lady Nada.
And then ask by calling her name Lady Nada
“Lady Nada, what negative energies are attached to me? What things are allowing me to not live my life based on love, devotion, and service to those in need.”
Pay attention to your inner voice…
Listen to your heart and internal guidance…
Now ask, “Where is my energy being drained?… Is anyone or anything draining my energy?…
Is it people, family…low vibrational entities?”
Now focus on your heart…
And with this awareness, ask “How do I release these negative energies and attachments?…”
Now continue to focus on your heart…
Notice any signs or sensations that come to you and your mind, Allow the pink divine energy from Lady Nada to flow through to and feel any negative energy begin to dissipate…
You are now Standing in your connection to love. With this deep connection, ask to be guided by love, compassion, and devotion to others.
Feel and see a sphere of pink light surrounding you and filling your entire body…
Filling your heart…
Infused with love and devotion…
Which are the highest and strongest protective energies that are now surrounding your aura.
Cleansing and releasing any stagnant low vibrational energies.
Now, thank lady nada and close the meditation. Knowing now you’re surrounded with love and pink divine light in your life going forward.

Become Reiki Attuned
It not only helps heal and soothe others, it has helped me heal myself in so many ways. In addition to having divine energy flowing through you, being a channel of the Universe allows you to be open to all the Universe wants to give. This includes becoming attuned to a specific Ascended Master.

Visualizations
Visualize and work with the color Pink through visualizing having the pink energy around you and in your sacred container and temples. You can visualize the color pink to have it included in any shadow work, meditation, spell work, and ritual work as well. Below is a visualization to help you start connecting with the color pink.
In a quiet, meditative container, close your eyes and begin to visualize a brilliant pink light surrounding you.
Focus on the sensation of the pink color, feeling its love, devotion, and service to others.
Imagine it permeating your entire being, aligning you with the energy of the pink ray.

Visualize Images of Love and Creativity
Focus on images that evoke feelings of love, creativity, and empathy.
This could include visualizing a loving embrace, a blossoming flower, a heart symbol, or any creative artwork that resonates with you.
Let these images fill your mind’s eye, connecting you with the loving and creative essence of this Ray.

Affirmations
Another way to work with the rays of light is something most of us are familiar with; which is affirmations. Affirmations can be used with almost any and all energies you want to connect to and work with. They do this in a lot ways but, mainly by helping us stay in tuned and aligned with those energies on a more constant and consistent basis.

“I ask Lady Nada to free the love in my heart with forgiveness and fill it with love, compassion, and the joy of serving others.”

“I feel surrounded by the energy and teachings of love everywhere around me.”

“I give love in abundance to others. I give compassion to those who seek it. I live to serve those in kindness.”

“I give love, guidance, and protection to those who need it most and can not advocate for themselves.”

Others Ways To Connect To The Pink Ray

  • Cultivate self-love and self-compassion through daily affirmations and self-care practices.
  • Practice forgiveness towards oneself and others to release emotional burdens and foster healing.
  • Extend acts of kindness and compassion to others, creating a ripple effect of love and positivity.
  • Engage in loving and compassionate communication, listening deeply and responding with empathy.
  • Meditate on the Pink Ray to connect with its energy, allowing it to heal and uplift your heart and emotions.
  • Invoke the presence of Lady Nada and the Pink Ray to seek guidance and support in matters of love, relationships, and personal growth.
  • Use the Pink Ray as a tool for healing emotional wounds, transforming negative patterns, and cultivating a more loving and harmonious life.
  • perform self love rituals like a ritual self love bath
  • Do mirror magic to work on self esteem with the pink ray of light
  • Add elemental magic with the element of water to increase your connections to emotions
  • Shadow work based on womb healing or inner child work.  If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here;  you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; You can register for my upcoming 6 week workshop series starting June 19th on the topic here; you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.
  • Add color magic to your daily life with the color pink
  • Have a self love altar in your home
  • Volunteer for a cause you deeply care about that helps uplift others

Correspondences To connect to Lady Nada

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 , the zodiac energy the moon is currently in or for an ascended like I will list below for you to use. Keep in mind this in a very small list but, any correspondence that connects you to the divine light of love will do.

  • herb/flowers- roses, lavender, basil, cinnamon, jasmine, peony,
  • colors- pink, red, white
  • crystals/stones- rose quartz, garnet, ruby, red jasper, rhodochrosite
  • element- water
  • symbols- hearts, Atlantis, the ocean, couples
  • Any correspondences that you can connect to with love will work as well!

Lady Nada The Guide For Twin Flames

Lady Nada is often called upon for guidance and wisdom in twin-flame relationships and divine partnerships since she is the chohan of divine love. Twin flames are a connection that is intensely profound, filled with unconditional love, passion, and deep understanding and completion. She teaches that the ultimate purpose of twin flame relationships is not merely romantic fulfillment but spiritual growth and acceleration toward enlightenment.

Nada encourages individuals to view the challenges and struggles often associated with these relationships as opportunities for deep personal and spiritual development. Her guidance for twin flames focuses on fostering unconditional love, understanding, and forgiveness. These qualities, she suggests, are essential for the successful reunion of twin flames. She advises patience and trust in the divine timing, emphasizing that each twin flame connection has its unique journey and rhythm.

Lady Nada, The Pink Ray and Duality

Since I am a grey witch every single energy I work with I look at how it can help me maintain balance and how it can represent the cosmic energy of duality. This includes lady nada and the pink ray of light. Most would think with her being the chohan of divine love there can not be a balance and there could be nothing unwanted with that. But, I would say you are wrong. When it comes to fully encompassing divine love; that means you do so for all of humanity and those around you which requires being able to radically forgive and often. Doing that requires you doing some deep inner work and allowing unwanted emotions to be felt. You have to feel those unwanted emotions in order to make room for the all encompassing divine love you are connecting to. Along with putting yourself into a grey space or morality when it comes to loving fellow humans no matter what. For example; A human who has sexual abused or assaulted a child? How would you unconditionally love them? To do this you end up in a grey space and liminal space of morality and ethics.

Also love in the sense of a relationship isn’t always an easy and wanted thing to maintain and takes a lot of deep connection and willingness to experience uncomfortable and unwanted emotions, and conversations. Trust me I know I have been with my husband for 13 years now. Another reason why I would say you are wrong is when working with an ascended master the whole point is to transition and ascend. Which as I have talked about before is a very dualistic energy and forces us into some of the most liminal spaces within ourselves. In order to transition, transform, and ascend you must be in those liminal spaces to experience your death to be reborn.

Wrap Up

However you choose to work with Lady nada remember; She brings to those who choose to work with her knowledge of transformation and healing in all forms. She is gentle and kind but has a very strong focus with strength and empowerment within her that allows her to fight for you and protect you when it is needed. She will guide you to divine love through understanding all aspects of love/ This includes connections with others and yourself. She also gives a space of compassion and comfort to understand the impact traumas, grief, and tragedy have had on us. She teaches you that your love should extend far beyond yourself, your family, and loved ones to reach all those around you especially to those in need of it. Call on her as guide to help you connect to you source of divine love both within and without yourself to become your true soul self, and connect to your sacred purpose. Doing this could be your next step towards your own ascension even. And ultimately for the greater good of humanity!

To expand your knowledge about her and if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on youtube below!

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Embrace The Transformation, Renewal, and Wealth of the 5/5 portal

Certain dates hold a special significance in the terms of celestial alignment and they create a portal through which we can access heightened energies, spiritual insights, and opportunities for growth. The 5th of May is a really important date as it is the 5th day of the 5th month of the year. This is known as the 5/5 portal. The May 5 Portal,is also known as the 5/5 Gateway or the Beltane Portal, and it occurs annually on May 5th. This date holds significance in various spiritual traditions, including astrology, numerology, and indigenous cultures as a time of heightened spiritual activity and cosmic alignment. It’s often thought that at this time, the veil between the physical and spiritual realms is thinner, putting the collective in a liminal space allowing us to access higher frequencies of energy to receive guidance, and blessings from the divine. This portal creates a powerful alignment of cosmic forces that opens a gateway to transformation, renewal, manifestation, abundance, and purpose. The energy will be ripe on 5/5, the ultimate portal of change, enlightenment, and finally seeing elements in your life “as they are” and not what you perceive. It is the portal that unlocks the door for us to begin a deep manifestation journey.

First, What is a portal?

A portal is an energetic gateway or doorway that creates a powerful opportunity to connect with higher energies. We can make the most of each portal if we work with the incoming energies and channel, anchor, and integrate them.

The importance of numbers
In numerology, every number from 0 to 9 is a symbol and is therefore highly significant. Symbols are the language of the soul and patterns of numbers work together like a code. We can use days like these to connect more fully and readily with our higher nature and choose to elevate our consciousness.

In numerology, the number 5 is considered a master of change, able to go with the flow and adapt to different environments and social situations.

The Meaning Of The 5/5 Portal

The Sun is in Taurus; the sign of prosperity and 5 is the number of money, abundance, and wealth, so this day is the perfect day to manifest everything we desire in harmony with the Universe and create the life of our absolute dreams and deepest desires. At its core, the 5/5 Portal represents a time of transformation and renewal; a chance to shed old patterns, beliefs, and energies that no longer serve us, and embrace new beginnings and possibilities. We can tap into the energies of the 5/5 Portal to initiate personal and spiritual growth, release stagnant energy, and align with our highest path and purpose.

Connecting with the Divine Feminine

In many spiritual traditions, the month of May is associated with the celebration of the divine feminine and the energies of fertility, abundance, and creativity. As we access the 5/5 Portal, we are invited to connect with the nurturing and life-giving qualities of the divine feminine, honoring the cycles of birth, growth, and renewal that are mirrored in the natural world around us.

The 5/5 Portal and Duality

Since, I am a grey witch every single energy I choose to align myself with I look for how I can connect to it in the sense of duality and balance. With this portal it may seem like, there is no way an energy swirling with abundance, wealth, manifestation, renewal, and transformation can be anything but, a wanted thing and a wanted energy? Well, every single energy we work with is dualistic and this energy is no different.

When you are making room to manifest, are setting intentions, and getting ready to receive abundance you have to release some things to allow that to even happen and to make room for that energy to be received. This can look like many things, from physically removing things in your life like habits and/or behaviors or doing inner work to release unwanted thought patterns not allowing you to receive. You also will be steeped in duality when it comes to transformation with this portal and energy. Transformation is a very dualistic energy itself. It brings you and forces you into a liminal space, where you are not who or what you once were, and you are not who or what you will be. It is taking you through the process of a death, and into a birth which is one of the most potent dualistic energies you can work with.

How To Work With Portals In General

Portal days are a prime opportunity to refocus on ourselves. Below are some ways you can do that with portals in general on portal days when they are open and active.

Listen to your gut feeling: Portal days are not the time for overthinking decisions. Instead, listen to your intuition and trust the inspirations that come to you on these days.

Movement: Energy needs to flow, so make sure you get enough exercise on portal days. For example, you could start the day with some yoga or plan a walk during your lunch break. This will ground you and sharpen your focus at the same time.

Get enough sleep: In order to be as physically and mentally prepared as possible, healthy sleep is essential. Portal days demand a lot from you, so make sure you get enough sleep or take short rest breaks in between.

Journalling and manifestation: Hold on to your thoughts and ideas by visualising them on a goal board or writing them down in your journal. This not only prevents you from forgetting them again, but also brings order to your potential chaos of thoughts.

Create rituals: Everything has a more intense effect on portal days. This includes the opportunity to create new rituals, reinforce existing ones or overhaul old ones. Rituals ensure consistency and can help us to really put our new insights into practice and integrate them permanently into our everyday lives.

How to use the 5/5 portal Specifically

The sequence of 555 denotes a time of life choices, major change, and opportunity. So, do your best to set intentions during that time. When you set an intention on 5/5 at 5:55, you can use this portal energy to your highest benefit. It’s a time of major manifestation and money magic. Below is one way you can do this on your own at the times when the portal is the most potent; 5:55 am and 5:55 pm.

Step 1: Identify what is holding you back
It is really helpful to identify any areas that are preventing abundance and prosperity to flow freely in our life. Look at what could be causing you to not fully transform, and may be causing you fear to blossom into the new version of yourself this portal is ushering you towards.

We can do this by asking questions or doing shadow work surrounding topics such as:

  • Where is my internal dialogue holding me back?
  • What limiting words and phrases am I using repeatedly in connection with money?
  • What restricting words do I use to describe my relationship with money?
  • Is my natural view of money blocking my flow?
  • Is there something or someone I am allowing to hold me back in fear?
  • Do I believe there is enough abundance for me to receive?
  • Do I believe I am worthy to receive abundance, blessings, and transformation?

If you need help with Shadow work If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; https://www.paypal.com/instantcommerce/checkout/2S3QJZ4UPDRG6 you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555318986253 and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination below!


Step 2: Letting go of old beliefs
Once identified, choose to let go of this old mental patterning and beliefs. Release it and let it go. Release the past, the lower vibrations and then choose to invite in the newer, much higher vibrations to take their place.Call in your spirit guides to help you if needed or a deity if you feel called too.

Step 3: Manifest
All we need to do then….. Sit quietly out in nature or inside in your sacred container.
If you are inside, light a candle or burn incense to cleanse and purify the container.
Hold a clear Quartz crystal, a single point if you have one.
Invite and visualize the 5/5 energies flowing down from the multiverse/ cosmos and flowing down from your Crown chakra on the in-breath.
Have the intention to anchor this energy within your body.
On the out-breath visualize this energy flowing down and continuing past your Root chakra and continuing down until it is deep within Mother Earth.
Just keep breathing in and out, visualizing the incoming energies flowing down through you and then down into the Earth.
Anchoring the energies within you and then grounding them into Gaia.
You are the channel.
The energies are passing through you.
They are activating cellular light codes within you.
Focus on the light and keeping your vibration as high as possible.
Do this until you are guided to stop.

Throughout the rest of the day make sure to;

  • Drink plenty of pure water.
  • Rest if you need too!
  • Express gratitude and go for a walk
  • Draw some oracle cards or do divination
  • Journal
  • Practice self care like a ritual bath

We can ask the multiverse to help us feel safe and secure and to know that we are enough and have always been enough. By releasing all limitations that we currently have, we can bring our highest potential to this world and shine like the incredible and expansive beings of light that we truly are!

Embrace The Transformation, Renewal, and Wealth of the 5/5 portal

There are many ways to work with the 5/5 portal like, ritual,ceremony, meditation, prayer, channeling, or sacred gatherings. These practices serve to amplify our intentions, deepen our connection to the divine, and align us with the transformative energies of the portal. We can use our own unique way to honor the 5/5 Portal and embrace its gifts of renewal and transformation. Embrace this sacred time as an opportunity for growth, healing, and spiritual evolution, trusting in the guidance of the multiverse/cosmos and the wisdom of our own inner knowing/ intuition.

To connect to this portal with me during a free guided channeling and meditation session you can Join me with Divination Academy on May 5th in Facebook live! Here is the link to join me! https://www.facebook.com/events/321817077315928/

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Loki, The Norse God Of Chaos, Destruction And Paradoxical Magic

Loki is a very complicated, controversial, and charismatic Germanic and Norse deity. Just saying his name turns heads and invokes lengthy conversations full of debate. This may be because in modern times, Loki has often been compared to the figure of Satan. Though this is incorrect since he is still interested in preserving the cosmic order, while Satan is a fierce rival of that order. Even at times you may be told things meant to terrify you away from even looking into who he is, like he is destructive, deceitful, chaotic, and the bringer of the end of the world. Are some of these things true? In a way yes but, you also have to look at your perspective of those words and I also feel he is this way for many justifiable reasons as well.

First, is he deceitful? Well isn’t everyone at times? I find him too much more mischievous than deceitful. That he likes to play pranks, and manipulate things at times to get what he wants. At times being mischievous, doing things you shouldn’t, and breaking rules is how you get the attention of the truly powerful. Sometimes it’s what’s needed to shake things up and get the attention of those who really need to hear what you have to say.

Secondly, with him being a God of Mischief, destruction, and chaos he inherently is feared. But, like I have talked about in almost every single class I have ever taught or blogpost I have written, destruction is necessary for anything new to be rebuilt. Death is necessary for rebirth. There has to be an energy exchange in order for anything new to be created, or birthed into this multiverse. And as much as you may fear Ragnorak it has happened before and will happen again as it is meant to for the multiverse to stay in balance.

Third, Loki in my eyes has very justifiable reasons for the actions that he does take and for his feelings against the Aesir and Odin in particular. Depending on which version of his parentage and story you look at Odin is his brother and by blood. So, wouldn’t you treat a brother the way loki does when you look at their relationship like that? Banishing Loki’s children and punishing them for the same reason. Is that justifiable? Was Loki’s punishment for killing Balder really okay if you think about it?

My experience with Loki

I briefly touched on it above. I have worked with Loki and do still when I feel the call from him or when I want to work with chaos and transformation magic. He is not a patron deity of mine nor am I Gothi or goði in the norse path either. I have spent quite a bit of time studying him due to the region I live in and my family’s heritage. I have worked in my own solitary practice. Since, I am a Grey witch and thrive in the liminal space; I honestly hit it off right away with him. He is honestly one of thef ew of them I have even extensively studied and worked with in the Norse and Germanic Pantheons. He has always been easy for me to understand, communicate with and he really helped me deepen my understanding of the liminal space through his access to chaos.

Who is Loki?

Loki; trickster, shapeshifter, and the cause of—and solution to—Asgard’s greatest troubles. Famously known for his cunning and tricky nature. Although his father was the giant Fárbauti, he was included among the Aesir (a tribe of gods) according to some and others do not consider this to be true of him and consider him to be simply a giant.

 One way in which Loki is different from the Aesir gods is that he did not have an area of responsibility that he symbolized, such as war or fertility. While he was considered a trickster, his mischief was mostly a foil for the Aesir gods, and not for men.

Loki is a Deity of Germanic and Norse Origins. According to the Eddas written by Snorri Sturluson, Loki is a god that will cause a war known as Ragnarok between the Norse gods. Basically, he is the cause of the end of the world.

In Old Norse the word ‘loki’ means knot or tangle, and he may have been considered responsible for some of the misfortunes that befell men, and therefore be a kind of trickster god, but there is little evidence for this.

Loki was represented as the companion of the great gods Odin and Thor, helping them with his clever plans but sometimes causing embarrassment and difficulty for them and himself. He also appeared as the enemy of the gods. He frequently causes problems with the gods, stirs shit up, and then comes back to save the day. But why?

 Loki is the epitome of the Divine Paradox. He is…and he isn’t. He’s male, then he’s female. Then he’s an animal. He’s foe, then friend. Interestingly, he’s also credited as the reason the Aesir gods are gifted with powerful weapons and magical tools. Odin’s magical spear Gungnir and Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, for example. He is both a devoted and loving father and yet he killed Baldur.  Loki is meant to represent the spectrum of humanity and the struggle of trying to balance it all. 

Loki is much more than a trickster. He’s much more than the god of mischief. Writing him off as this ONE thing is a big mistake on our part. Keep in mind, Odin calls Loki his brother, calling him blood of his own blood. And Thor needs Loki as a traveling companion for reasons we can only try to comprehend. He may also be a creator god….one who was there during the creation of man. In another guise – Lodur. Doesn’t it make sense that a destructive god would also be a creator god? There’s that divine paradox.

Loki is also remembered as the father of witches. In fact, it is said that he had found a half-cooked woman’s heart among the glowing embers of a bonfire, and eating it he was impregnated, giving life to witches.

Family and his children

Loki was the son of Fárbauti, an unspecified jötunn whose name meant “cruel striker.” His mother was usually called Laufey, though she was also referred to as Nál. Loki’s brothers were Helblindi and Býleistr, also jötnar.

With the giantess Angrboda, Loki had three children. The Aesir gods so feared the potential chaos that could be caused by these children that they placed each of them in a place where they could do the least harm.

The first, the giantess Hel, was given dominion over the underworld of Helheim, where all souls that did not fall bravely in battle found themselves after death. If you want to learn more about her I already taught a class on her you can watch the class here.

The second Jormungand, was a mighty serpent and the Aesir threw him into the sea surrounding Midgard, the world of men. There he grew to such a great size that he could surround the entire world.

Their third son was a might wolf named Fenrir. He was chained up in Asgard using a magical ribbon made by the dwarves.

Each of these children of Loki and Angrboda are prophesized to have a role to play in Ragnarok, the Armageddon of Norse mythology, with Fenrir killing Odin himself, and Thor and Jormungand slaying one another in the final battle. As such, they are some of the ultimate symbols of chaos and destruction in Norse mythology.

Loki also had a wife Sigyn, who was probably one of the Aesir gods. We actually don’t know much about her but I am working on a post about her coming soon. They had a son Nari. Narfi, Loki’s son with Sigyn, meets a tragic and grisly fate in the annals of Norse mythology. In a twist of events following the orchestration of Baldr’s death by Loki, the gods sought to punish Loki for his role. To do so, they turned Vali, one of Odin’s sons, into a wolf. In his feral state, Vali attacked and tore apart Loki’s son Narfi. The gods then used Narfi’s entrails to bind Loki, ensuring his punishment was both symbolic and severe. This act not only served as retribution for Loki’s deeds but also highlighted the intricate and often brutal nature of Norse myths.

Loki was also the mother of Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged steed. This was the result of Loki’s shapeshifting ability. According to the old Norse story, near the beginning of time an unnamed builder offered to build the fortifications around Asgard in exchange for the goddess Freya (who was very beautiful and seductive), the sun and the moon.

The gods agreed to this, but only if he completed the work within one season and with the help of no man. The man agreed on the condition that he could have the help of the stallion Svadilfari, and Loki convinced the gods to accept the deal.

The stallion helped the builder complete the work extremely quickly, and with only three days to go before the deadline it looked as though he was going to finish the work on time. The gods blamed Loki for putting them in this terrible situation of having to pay the agreed price, and they demanded that he ensure that the builder did not complete his work.

In order to do this, Loki turned himself into a stunning mare, successfully distracting the stallion and delaying the work of the builder. This distraction also resulted in Loki’s pregnancy and Some time later, Loki birthed Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse, who was to become Odin’s favorite mount. It is hard to see Loki as the bad guy in this particular story, especially since the god’s not only went back on the deal, but Thor also killed the builder.

Loki in Myths and stories

Let’s talk about the myths and legends he shows up in. We don’t exactly know what his true origins are prior to him showing up in the Eddas. There are thoughts and theories though amongst researchers, historians, and archeologists that he was a much older deity than we realize and he was originally considered an elemental deity of the hearth. We don’t have any written documentation of this but, we do have some archeological evidence of this throughout Northern Europe. 

Loki’s entrance into Norse mythology came later than most, his origins remained difficult to discern. In the oldest poetic works, such as the Grímnismál (which had fragments going back to the eighth century), Loki was conspicuously absent. In non-Norse sources of pre-Christian Germanic religion, Loki was once again either absent or presented in a very different manner.

So, if he was originally a very primordial ancient deity of fire, home, and hearth how did he end as this demonized, and malicious intent deity many see him as today. Well, like I’ve said before with other deities I really think we have the Christian and Roman Catholic church to blame for this. You have to remember the author of the Eddas was christian himself. As with other deities I have taught about before, they really like to do this with deities they deem too powerful or that have too widespread of influence to be able to completely write out. They take them and turn them into that region or culture’s version of satan. I really feel this is a possibility for what happened here. 

The Betrayal of Baldur and the Binding of Loki

The critical turning point in Loki’s relationship with the gods came with his role in the story of Baldur, one of Odin’s sons and the half-brother of Thor. While the full story was spread out amongst a number of old sources, the narrative generally remained consistent between them.


It all began when Baldur was troubled by dreams of his own death, dreams that his mother had as well. Seeking answers, Odin summoned a völva from the dead. The völva confirmed Odin’s fears and told him that Baldur would indeed die, but did not reveal how his death would occur.

Desperate to protect her son from all harm, Frigg went around and secured an oath from every living thing in the universe that they would never hurt Balder, or assist in hurting him.

This basically made Balder invincible, something which amused the other gods, who would often throw weapons at Balder for the pleasure of watching them bounce off him causing no harm.

Loki, jealous of Balder (some claim) and generally always looking for a way to make trouble, used his shapeshifting abilities to trick Frigg into telling him that she may have forgotten to secure the oath from the humble mistletoe plant.

Learning this information Loki immediately made a dart of mistletoe and tricked Balder’s blind brother Hod into throwing it at Balder as part of the gods’ regular game. It struck him dead immediately, much to the surprise of all the gods. After Balder’s death, Odin beseeched Hel, Loki’s daughter and the keeper of the Underworld, to allow Balder to return to Asgard, explaining to her that the world should not be robbed of this most beloved being.

Hel actually agreed to return Balder, but only on the condition that every living thing in the universe weep for him. And this they did, except for one giantess, who many believe was Loki in disguise. As such, Balder was not able to return.

For his part in his tragedy, Loki was finally expelled from Asgard by the Aesir gods. They chained him to two rocks, hanging a poisonous snake above his head to drip painful poison onto his face.

Loki’s loyal wife Sigyn tries to protect Loki from this pain by catching the poison in a bowl, but when she must leave to empty the bowl, Loki is inflicted with the pain of the poison, and it is his shudders that cause earthquakes.

When the time for Ragnarok itself comes, it is prophesied that Loki will slip his chains, and will join the giant movement against the Aesir gods. During the battle it is foretold that he will engage Heimdall in hand to hand battle and that the two will slay one another.

Ragnarök

During Ragnarök (the “fate of the gods”), the sequence of events leading to the death and rebirth of the world, Loki was said to play a decisive role. Ragnarök’s beginning would be marked by Loki’s release from bondage, and the trickster would eventually join the side of the jötnar in their conflict against the gods. Loki’s children, Jörmungandr and Fenrir, would also contribute to the demise of the gods. In the end, Loki himself would turn into a seal and battle Heimdall; both were fated to die in the melee.

Where Loki is mentioned in myths and stories

Poetic Edda
In the Poetic Edda, Loki appears (or is referenced) in the poems Völuspá, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Reginsmál, Baldrs draumar, and Hyndluljóð.
Prose Edda Gylfaginning
The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning tells various myths featuring Loki, including Loki’s role in the birth of the horse Sleipnir and Loki’s contest with Logi, fire personified.
Norwegian rune poem
Fjölsvinnsmál Poem
Hyndluljóð Poem

Key Stories Loki is in

Fortification Of Asgard And Birth Of Sleipnir
I talked about this one earlier but, Loki’s cunning shines again when the gods are at risk of losing a bet with a giant builder. To prevent the giant from claiming the sun, moon, and Freyja, Loki transforms into a mare, distracting the giant’s stallion. This act not only prevents the completion of Asgard’s wall but also leads to the birth of the eight-legged horse, Sleipnir.

Abduction Of Idunn
Loki’s cunning is on full display in the tale of Idunn’s abduction. Initially, he tricks Idunn into leaving Asgard, leading to her capture by the giant Thjazi. Without her rejuvenating apples, the gods begin to age rapidly. Realizing the gravity of his actions, Loki transforms into a falcon, rescues Idunn, and returns her to Asgard, restoring youth and vitality to the gods.

The Otter’s Ransom
In a thoughtless act, Loki kills an otter, only to discover it was a transformed dwarf. To atone for his mistake, he embarks on a quest to retrieve cursed gold as compensation. This tale showcases Loki’s ability to rectify his misdeeds, even if they were born out of mischief.

Sif’s Golden Hair
After mischievously cutting off Sif’s beautiful locks, Loki finds himself in a predicament. To make amends, he commissions the dwarves to craft golden hair even more beautiful than Sif’s original locks. This act indirectly leads to the creation of iconic artifacts like Thor’s hammer Mjölnir and Odin’s spear Gungnir.

Þrymskviða: The Deceptive Wedding
In the Þrymskviða, Thor’s hammer, Mjöllnir, is stolen by the giant Thrym, who demands Freyja as his bride in exchange. Loki devises a plan: Thor will disguise himself as Freyja, with Loki as his bridesmaid. The duo travels to Thrym’s hall, and despite some close calls due to Thor’s behavior, Loki’s quick explanations keep their cover. When Thrym brings out Mjöllnir to bless the “bride”, Thor seizes it, dispatching Thrym and his court. The tale underscores Loki’s cunning and the gods’ resourcefulness in dire situations.

Lokasenna: Loki’s Taunts
In the Lokasenna, Loki crashes a feast of the gods and hurls insults, revealing uncomfortable truths and secrets. His sharp tongue and audacity lead to heated exchanges, showcasing his fearless nature and his delight in causing discord.

Correspondences to connect to Loki

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 he zodiac energy the moon, an archetype energy , or a deity like I will list below for you to use.

  • Colors: black, yellow, green, gold, red, orange, violet
  • Days: Friday the 13th, the 13th of each month, Autumn Equinox, Samhain, Yule
  • Animals: snake, falcon, spider, horse, fly, flea, salmon, vulture, wolf, fox
  • crystals/ Stones: obsidian, black tourmaline, black onyx, garnet, citrine, serpentine, carnelian
  • Other pantheon’s deities similar to Loki: Pan, Cernunnos, Dionysus, Bacchus, Anansi, Lugh, Hermes, Mercury, Elegua, Eshu, Prometheus, Veles, Coyote and Crow
  • Herbs: mistletoe, mint, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon, clove, holly, cedar, juniper, elder
  • Magical Domains: chaos, destruction, creation and creativity, fire, shapeshifting, blacksmithing, cooking, discovery, trickery, protection, paradox, taboo, shadow work, catalyst, cunning, seduction, passion, primal instinct, healing, self empowerment
  • Star: Sirius “Loki’s Torch”
  • Symbols: infinity snake and ouroboros, number 8, chaos star, runes that spell out his name: Laguz, Othala, Kenaz, Isa as well as the rune Hagalaz

Lokean Practice; Modern day Loki Worship

A Lokean is someone who works with, worships, and/or venerates the Norse god Loki, typically as a main deity. The term “Lokean” has two uses. The first describes patronage to Loki similar to saying “Lokisman” or “Odinswoman”, while the second implies a subcultural identity distinct from Heathenry. For this reason, not everyone who works with Loki may identify with the term Lokean or Lokean Heathen, and may opt to use “Heathen” or “Norse Pagan” instead.

The word “Lokean” originates in North America, growing out of controversy, superstition, and queerphobia sometime in the 1990’s.* Lokispeople were excluded from Heathen spaces and a division in the community occurred as a result. Whether “Lokean” was created by this division, or was simply propagated by it, is hard to say. Either way, it became something of its own identity as the years went by.

Because its identity was separated from Heathenry in such a way, not all Lokeans think of themselves as Heathens; some may be Wiccan Lokeans, agnostic Lokeans, Left-hand Path Lokeans, or may otherwise work with Loki in a non-Heathen context. Lokean practice is unique in that it intersects with Heathenry at varying degrees.

What does Lokean Practice Look Like?

The only needed component of Lokean practice is Loki, so it can be whatever a Lokean would like it to be. Generally it’s marked by very typical staples of neo-Paganism, such as deity-work, offerings, holiday observances, and even creating an altar or sacred space for him. But again, this is all up to the practitioner and there’s no right or wrong way to venerate Loki. The purpose of this spiritual practice is to foster a relationship with Loki that feels fulfilling, so everything about it can and should be tailored to your needs.

Other ways to work with Loki

Read, Research, and study
Just like I teach and write with every single deity the number one and most important way to connect to a deity is by learning all that you can about them. Earlier I gave a list of the key myths and stories you find him in that are a great place to start. Find other books on him like; One book I recommend is Dagulf Loptson’s “Loki: Trickster and Transformer”. You can find many podcasts, youtube videos and more to learn more as well.

Create an altar for him
If you are new to deity work one of the main ways to connect to a deity is through an altar. Add any of the correspondences listed above or any of these offerings; Loki enjoys alcohol, candy, hot peppers, spicy foods, meat, and some folks even give him toys. One tip I have for him is I seem to have better results if he is in my kitchen, or near my sacred space where I do my magical workings. I also do not recommend putting him together with other deities or pantheons outside of having Odin, Thor, Sigyn, or Hel with him. Things just tend to get chaotic and messy in my life and my workings if I have him mixed in with other deities and pantheons.

FIRE
Loki was born when a lightning bolt struck a birch tree. He is known as a “hot” deity and indeed manifests as fire. So, what better way to honor him and get to know him than with fire? This could take many forms: cooking on open fire, lighting candles as offerings, fire poi (if you’re so brave),or my favorite fire scrying. Just remember to be on the safe side when working with this particular element.

Shadow work
Being a grey witch and mystic I thrive in the liminal space which makes the practice of shadow work one of my favorite things to do and I am a very unique guide through it. Every class I teach I always talk about the benefits we get from shadow work and how we can use a deity to assist and guide us on some of those journeys into the darkness.

Loki is my favorite male deity to call on for shadow work. He is my favorite guide into not only my divine masculine but, to really truly understand the balance of both and how to move in between the energies fluidly like the shapeshifter in him has the ability to do.

Loki also has this ability to pull on our inner child and yank them out of the shadows where they either like to hide or we have pushed them to disappear into. He will pull them out and let them feel all it is they have to feel. Which for some can be really chaotic, overwhelming and hard to handle at first but, working with them and letting them feel what they need to will lead you through a death and into your next rebirth.

When working with Loki, you’ll notice he likes to dredge up those pesky shadows we tend to ignore. In fact, I see this as an inherent ability he uses time and time again with the gods themselves. His trickster spirit takes things away, only to return them in a new form OR to allow for something new entirely to take their place. When Loki steals things from the gods, he forces them to face their shadows. To re-examine the value of the things they hold dear. He tends to do the same to his devotees and friends.
To learn more about how to do shadow work you can watch my previous class on it here.

Number 13

One of loki’s symbols is the number 13. Consider implementing the number thirteen into your rituals, offerings, magick, and daily life in honor of the Trickster God. Examples: draw thirteen runes (if you’re adept to the runes), light thirteen candles (keep an eye on those bad boys!), hail his name thirteen times, etc.

Play pranks on others

I don’t know if this is something you are comfortable with doing honestly, this one is hard for me to do. But, playing some harmless pranks on others can help you connect to that playful mischievous side of Loki.

Enhance  your magic

Loki is a very gifted and powerful magic practitioner. His skills in shape shifting are evidence of that alone. So, call on him in your magical workings to help transform and amplify your magic and your understanding of it.

Exploring Paradox

What is paradox? Paradox is defined as “a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.” Loki embodies the Divine Paradox – he is a walking, godly contradiction in many facets. He often appears as a man, yet he is also gender fluid and can appear as a woman or any other gender he likes. He’s a god, then animal. Then back again. He’s good. And yet he’s bad. And yet neither. By exploring your personal paradox, you connect further with Loki’s true essence.

Use Loki to unbox yourself

As a shapeshifter who changes aspects about himself often. He 

Changes gender, species, agendas, and so much more. He never restricts himself to be one thing or one way. No matter what outward appearance he chooses to project. So, use him and his energy to do the same for you wherever you may need it in your life. He was pivotal for me as well when it came to my sexual identity and not feeling the need to be boxed in by the assumptions the image my marriage portrays. 

Prayer to Loki

“My beloved god of chaos, My beloved god of hoaxes and lies, My Beloved god that guides me to journeys inside. You pull out what must be seen, and remove all barriers to access my true identity. My beloved god loki I ask that, Your powerful destructive energy might be mine. To destroy what must be to have space for new creation. I am open to receive your blessings, guidance, power. I am ready to keep creating and destroying in your name. Amen. Aho. So mote it is.”

Loki’s Roles And Responsibilities: The Dual Nature Of The Trickster God

I always talk about duality if you are new to learning from me it is in every class I teach. I also teach that I do not view it as good vs evil at all but, there are times I title it this way or teach it this way because that’s how most view these opposing energies.  With, that being said Loki really does embody all of this in my opinion the best way of any male deity I have found and worked with so far. 

Have you ever wondered if Odin is the all the father and Thor is so powerful why haven’t they just gotten rid of Loki at this point and stopped him from annoying them and wreaking havoc on them constantly? For many reasons, but this is one of them he needs to be him and doing what he does to keep the universe in balance. Also, they like the friction he causes and they know it. It makes things interesting for them.

His role with humans

I want to touch on something I feel is important when it comes to Loki and why I really like to work with him. If you look through all of his stories and myths and where he comes up the only time he is in conflict with humans and even then indirectly is in Ragnorak. Other than that, his myths and legends have to do with the gods not humans. 

This aspect about him even makes him all the more intriguing to work with and why he is so inviting when it comes to that deep shadow work. I think it is also both why his histories were erased and changed in my opinion and why he is making such a huge comeback in modern times.

If you choose to work with him now, be prepared to look deep within yourself to understand the true divine paradox we are simply for being humans. He will allow you to unbox your identity and remove any barrier that may be in your way to fully understand all parts of who you are. He welcomes you into the liminal space and will be a great guide for you. 

To continue learning more about him, and even get a chance to meet him, you can also watch my free class on Youtube with Divination Academy below!

Books to Read

To Further look into Loki and who is these book would be the ones I recommend to start with!

Pagan Portals – Loki: Trickster and Transformer by Dagulf Loptson

Loki by Mike Vasich

Loki of Midgard: The Making of a Magician by Jennifer Meinking

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A Guide To The Five Elements and Elemental Witchcraft

The basis of life is in the five elements. We only live and survive because of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. The earth is beneath us, provides us shelter, stability, and nourishment. A place to call home. We breathe the air around us, it fills our lungs and our blood with life-giving oxygen. Fire gives us heat, protection, and helps us cook our food. And water? Well, we are made up of over 60% of this element and need it to survive, as well. Spirit is the magical fountain within each of us; our individual source. Within Spirit, all the basic four elements come together to work in harmony with one another. These elements are also the foundation of modern natural witchcraft.

As practitioners of magic, we understand the power and significance of the elements in our craft. Understanding the elements and their energies can help us deepen our connection with the natural world and enhance our magical abilities.

Let’s learn how to use this knowledge to enhance our magical practice and deepen our connection with the natural world. I’ll do a sequence of articles on each element. This one will serve as the introduction to the topic.

Before we begin

Before we begin, it is important to note that elemental magic is a complex form of magic that requires a deep understanding of the elements and their properties. It is essential to approach elemental magic with respect and caution. It is also important to note that this guide is intended to serve as a starting point for your elemental magic journey. It is not an exhaustive guide, and you should continue to research and learn about elemental magic as you practice it. It is also important to note that not all witches, and practitioners use the same correspondences for the elements. It can differ from person to person, practice to practice and from culture to culture.

What is Elemental Magic?

Elemental magic refers to the magic of the elements of nature: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.. Spells and rituals will typically consist of using a single element most related to the goal of the caster. They may also contain more than one, even all of the elements like when using them to cast a magic circle, working with the watchtowers, or creating an altar. Most elemental magic requires only basic ingredients that can be found anywhere: bowls of water, stones, candles, and so on. This makes it perfect for learning the foundations of magic.

Energy

Before we dive into the elements themselves we have to touch on energy. Energy is the foundation of all elemental magic. The words and actions accompanying a spell are the least important part. The words and actions of the spell serve only to guide your focus on the energy involved. 

There are huge stores of energy in your body. You will learn to tap into this energy when doing elemental magic and to transfer it. When a spell calls for you to inscribe a rune into the dirt, the physical motion’s purpose is to help you transfer your personal energy. There is also the energy already present in each element which we will discuss later. 

 To learn more about the basics of working with energy and recognizing energy you can read all about it here; https://modgepodgemystic.com/working-with-the-basics-of-life-and-magic-energy/ 

The Five Elements

Depending on your practice and your magical journey this may not be news to you but, for others it might be. There are more than 4 elements to work with, there are at least 5! If you started your path and journey in wicca or alchemy or have studied Chinese, Japanese, Buddhist, Greek, some Indigenous north american tribes,some African tribes , and Babylonian cultures this won’t be news to you. If it is new for you we will go over the most commonly used five elements in rituals and spells; earth, air, fire, water, and spirit aka ether. 

Each of these five elements is a fundamental building block of the universe and symbolically represents the various stages or forms of matter. Each of these elements also has its own qualities and correspondences. In most if not all traditions, each element is associated with very specific correspondences and used in specific ways based on their nature.

The five elements are most often invoked during the consecration of a magic circle,  or at the very beginning of a ritual. Each element is linked to a cardinal direction. As each element is called and welcomed into the circle it is termed ‘calling the quarters’. Calling the quarters can be simple or it can be dramatic, poetic, and complex. It can work in a theme such as the human body if it is a ritual for healing or it can be written to target a specific pantheon of gods and goddesses.  The possibilities are endless! If you need to learn more about how to cast a magic circle or calling the quarters you can read all about here;  https://modgepodgemystic.com/the-magic-of-casting-a-circle/ and watch my previous class on it below.

Let’s explore the characteristics, correspondences, and how to work with  each element below.

Up First, EARTH

The earth element is powerful in so many ways. The earth is our planetary home. It is where all life abounds and is the source of our sustenance. The natural cycles of the earth are growth, harvest, decay, and regeneration. A myriad of topographical landscapes are found all over the earth complete with diverse flora and fauna. But the earth is not simply the living things that inhabit it. The earth consists of deep caves, reaching mountains, and dense forests.

 Depending on the tradition and even the individual, earth’s magical properties will vary. When the earth element means growth and grounding to one person, it may mean death and psychic abilities to another. In Wicca and other western magical traditions, it is one of the 5 major elements from which all life is sustained. The earth is inherently our mother. 

Earth embodies the embodiment of stability, grounding, and material abundance. It is the fertile soil that nurtures life, the mountains that rise with unwavering strength, and the foundation on which we build our spiritual journeys. Just as the Earth provides sustenance for all living beings, this element enables witches to manifest their desires, anchor their intentions, and connect with the physical world. It aligns us with the rhythms of nature and helps us find balance, resilience, and prosperity.

Earth is often connected with the practical aspects of life, including abundance, prosperity, physical health, and fertility. It influences our connection to the physical body and the material realm. Earth magic is especially potent for grounding and centering oneself, establishing boundaries, and bringing stability during times of chaos or emotional upheaval. By harnessing the Earth element’s energy, witches can create foundations for their intentions and manifest their desires in a tangible and grounded manner.

From a blade of grass to a mighty mountain, witches use the earth element in their magic and spiritual practice for many different purposes. In spell work, Earth is often used for grounding and centering, to make a spell stick, or to bring abundance and prosperity. So, sit with the element and follow your intuition to use the element in the way the best serves you.

Earth Folklore

When it comes to the Earth, much of the focus of our folklore focuses on how our planet was actually formed. These myths shed a great deal of light on our magical associations with the element Earth, especially in regards to rebirth, fertility, and death. The name Earth comes from the Norse goddess Jord, pronounces “yurdth,” who was a personification of Earth. While she is not an official goddess of the Norse pantheon as she was a jotnar, it is believed she coupled with Odin to bear a son known as Thor. Jord was believed to be the life force of the planet, causing trees to fruit and seeds to sprout at her touch, thus strongly associating her with fertility, birth, and new beginnings. 

Her personification was adopted by a number of cultures across Europe and eventually became known as Mother Earth or Mother Nature. Greek Mythology has a similar goddess known as Gaia. According to Greek creation myths, Gaia (the Earth) emerged from Chaos. Without assistance, she bore Uranus the Sky who then fertilized her. From this union, the Titans were born of which the Gods and Goddesses were born. As such, Gaia is the personification of Earth, the mother of all life. In Roman mythology she is referred to as Terra, meaning Earth.  In the babylonian myth earth is literally the great goddess Tiamat’s body split in  half.

 Similar myths can be found in every culture around the world, but they all have two things in common, the Earth is usually a feminine figure associated with birth and life.

Apart from creation myths, Earth also appears as the golem. According to Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated human-like creature made of mud and clay. Through ritual work, a creature could be brought to life using clay and mud to do the life-givers bidding. Some reports say to bring the golem to life, the Hebrew equivalent of the word “shem” was written on a piece of paper and placed in the golem’s mouth while other reports say “emet” which means truth was written on the forehead of the golem. To “kill” the golem the paper was removed or the last letter of the word truth was removed to turn the word into dead.

The rest of our Earth folklore focuses on ley lines, a grid of Earth energies that circle the globe that connect important sacred sites. In the British Isles, these lines were sometimes referred to as “fairy paths” and it was believed to be dangerous to walk along them for fear of being snatched by the fairies. In general, these lines not only connected sacred sites, but also certain hilltops in the countryside, and were liminal places between realms. We still view them as such today, recognizing the energy found among them is potent as well as liminal.

Earth 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 to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.

  • Gender: Feminine
  • Planet: Venus, Saturn
  • Time: Midnight
  • Season: Winter
  • Direction: North (although if the closest body of earth to you is a different direction, use that instead)
  • Tarot Cards: Pentacles, Coins
  • Zodiac: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
  • Symbolism: Grounding, strength, healing, success, stability, sturdiness, steadfastness, foundations, empathy, fertility, death, rebirth, wisdom, nature, animals, plants, money, prosperity,
  • Symbols: Rocks, plains, soil, caves, fields, stones, trees, gardens, canyons, forests
  • Deities: Cerridwyn, Demeter, Gaia, Terra, Jord, Ceres, Rhiannon, Persephone, Epona, Ptithivi, Pan, Herne, Cernunnos, Thoth, Adonis, Tammuz, Dionysus, Athos, Mah, Nephtys, Marduk, Athos, Arawn, Cybele, Leimarel Sidabi, Opes, Proserpina, Mat Zemlya, Pachamama, Houtu, Umay, Sif, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Geb, Asintmah, Zemes mate, Mlande, Mlande-Ava, Nerthus, Veles, Mokosh
  • Nature Spirits: Gnomes, fairies, trolls, dwarves, dryads, faun
  • Colors: Green, brown, black, gold
  • Food and Drink: Beer, vodka, whiskey, bread, salt, garlic, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, nuts, rice, oats, butter
  • Herbs: Oak, cedar, cypress, honeysuckle, ivy, primrose, sage, grains, patchouli, nuts, magnolia, comfrey, vetivert, moss, lilac, lichen, roots, barley, alfalfa, corn, rice
  • Crystals and Gemstones: Emerald, peridot, amethyst, jet, tourmaline, granite, quartz, salt, jasper, azurite, onyx, bedrock, tiger’s eye, rutilated quartz, fluorite, slate, lead, iron, moss agate, tree agate, coal
  • Animals: gopher, bear, wolf, ant, horse, stag, deer, dog, cow, bull, bison, snake, worms, moles, voles, grubs

The Unique Magic of the Earth Element

The earth element works in conjunction with all other elements to sustain life on this planet. In fact, it IS the planet. Think about how earth works with the others: earth feeds fire, requires water for growth, produces air (trees/plants) in conjunction with water. But can also suffocate fire and air and impede water. We live on the earth, our feet and homes planted in the soil, and grow our food in the earth. Without earth, we would not survive. Earth is nurturing, grounding, loving, growing, replenishing, moving, sowing, and reaping.

Ways to connect to Earth

If you are an earth zodiac sign, your most powerful magic will facilitate the earth element to make change. Earth magic doesn’t have to be complicated, unless you want it to be. Here are some easy ways to cast earth magic and harness the energy of the earth element:

  • growing and maintaining a magical garden
  • making herbal infusions and brews
  • burying spells i.e. witch’s bottles and jars
  • using different kinds of dirt and sand in your spells
  • kitchen witchcraft: cooking, baking, herbalism, crafting
  • mountain witchcraft: working with the energies of the mountain
  • herbal offerings to the gods and ancestors
  • making spell bags with herbs and crystals
  • growing a plant intended to manifest magical intentions
  • using salt to cleanse your sacred space
  • divination with ogham staves, rune stones and crystals
  • healing with crystals and stones and herbs
  • working with gnomes, garden fairies, etc.
  • aligning and balancing your root and heart chakras
  • working with the magick of trees
  • hiking and camping
  • Use herbs and plants in spell jars
  • carving and woodworking
  • crafting magical wreaths
  • wearing and using earth element colors in your magic
  • shadow work
  • Mindfully being in nature
  • Grounding and/or Earthing
  • Make a simmer pot

Next up, the element of Air

Air, the element of wisdom, communication, reasoning, logic, and breath. It is the perfect element to work with during the fall months because this shifting of the seasons often requires us to look inward and assess our situation; to take a deep breath and let go of what no longer serves us; to communicate our truths.

The air element is powerful in so many ways. The air is felt through the breath, the skin, and the view of the swaying trees. It is movement in the purest form as the wind travels around the globe spreading seeds for life, changing the landscape of the earth, and allowing the creatures of the sky to move amongst us. The air holds clouds, birds, and the stars above us.

Air is a force that is both seen and unseen, carrying the energies of communication, intellect, inspiration, and transformation. Just as the wind whispers secrets through the trees, Air symbolizes the realm of thoughts, ideas, and the power of the mind. It holds the potential for clarity, mental agility, and the swift currents of change. By tapping into the essence of Air, witches can amplify their intellectual capacities, enhance their intuition, and facilitate the free flow of energy within their craft.

Air magic encompasses themes of intellect, communication, inspiration, and travel. It aids in enhancing mental clarity, fostering effective communication, and seeking truth and wisdom. By working with the Air element, witches can harness its energy to stimulate creativity, promote clear thinking, and invite swift transformation in their lives. It serves as a conduit for ideas to take flight and for intentions to be carried far and wide.

Depending on the tradition and even the individual, air magical properties will vary. When the air element means communication or activation to one person, it may mean emotions and abundance to another. From a gust of wind to a gentle exhale, witches use the air element in their magic and spiritual practice for many different purposes. 

Air Folklore

Much of the folklore associated with Air encompasses weather magic and the wind itself. In Greek mythology, the Anemoi were the four winds, each of them corresponding to the four cardinal directions. They were the children of Eos, goddess of dawn, and Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds.

 The first of the sons was Boreas, the god of the north wind and bringer of cold winter air. He is often depicted with a beard in a short, pleated tunic and said to have a violent temper. When Orithyia, a princess of Athens, refused to marry Boreas, he stole her away to marry her in the clouds where they later had two sons and two daughters together. From then on, Boreas was seen as a relative by marriage and they called upon him for protection when attacked by neighboring kingdoms. In 480 B.C. Boreas supposedly sank 400 Persian ships that threatened the Athenians.

The second son, Zephyrus or Zephyr, is the god of the west wind. He is the gentlest of the winds, blowing in Spring and warmer weather. Zephyrus appears in a number of stories, each one often depicting a different lover both male and female. His amorous relationships make him a fertility god, which makes sense since he is said to bring in Spring, the ultimate icon of fertility. 

The god of the south wind, Notus, is associated with the hot, desiccating winds of Summer that blew in after the Summer Solstice. It was him that brought late summer storms, destroying crops in his wake. 

And finally, there was Eurus, god of the east winds, who was believed to be responsible for the turbulent winds during storms at sea. Seafarers would often try to appease Eurus to ensure a safe trip and would place protection charms on their ships to ward off ill will.

In other traditions, Air is deeply associated with breath, the life-giver. In ancient Greece, this breath of life was referred to as pneuma, which later became translated into soul or spirit. I’ll address pneuma in more detail in later posts, but I wanted to mention it here because, without breath, life ceases to exist, and as such a number of superstitions arose around breath. For example, when passing by a cemetery one should hold their breath to avoid breathing in the spirit of someone who recently passed. In multiple cultures around the world, we see tales of the night hag, a demon who sits on your chest and steals your breath away, a phenomenon now referred to as sleep paralysis. For centuries in England, it was believed cats should suck an infant’s breath away, causing the baby to die. In 1791, a jury in Plymouth, England convicted a cat of infanticide while in 1929 in Nebraska, a supposed doctor claimed to have witnessed a cat “lying on the baby’s breast, pay on either side of the babe’s mouth, the cat’s lips pressing those of the child and the infant’s face as pale as that of a corpse, its lips with the blueness of death.” This idea persists even in modern times, despite their not being any evidence that cats suffocate babies in this way. However, the idea that breath is linked to life is an important one, giving Air its association with life and death.

Air Correspondences

Remember, 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 to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.

  • Gender: Masculine
  • Planet: Mercury, Jupiter
  • Time: Dawn
  • Season: Spring
  • Direction: East
  • Tarot Cards: Wands (or Swords depending on the tradition)
  • Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
  • Symbolism: Intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, logic, thought, communication, truth, inspiration, intuition, memory, creativity
  • Symbols: Feather, wand, staff, incense, censer, pen, broom, bell, sword, sky, wind, clouds, breeze, breath, wind chimes
  • Deities: Zeus, Aradia, Nuit, Thoth, Urania, Cardea, Enlil, Kheoheva, Merawrim, Shu, Arianrhod, Hermes, Morrigan, Mercury, Aeolus, Boreas, Zephyrus, Notus, Eurus, 
  • Nature Spirits: Winged fairies, sprites, spirits, sylphs, zephyrs
  • Colors: Yellow, gold, white, light blue, pastels
  • Food and Drink: Beans, lentils, leafy greens, toast, cabbage, grains, carbonated beverages, popcorn, tofu, vinegar, rice cakes, puffed rice, dates, lingonberries, chickweed
  • Herbs: Bergamot, lavender, marjoram, peppermint, sage, dandelion, bluebell, clover, frankincense, primrose, lemongrass, pine, aspen, yarrow, violets, vervain, myrrh, dill, anise, aspen
  • Crystals and Gemstones: Amber, topaz, citrine, jasper, agate, pumice, alexandrite, amethyst, fluorite, mica, clear quartz
  • Animals: Birds, flying insects, spiders, bats

Ways to connect to Air

If you are an air zodiac sign, your most powerful magic will facilitate the air element to make change. Air spells don’t have to be complicated, unless you want them to be. Here are some easy ways to cast air spells and harness the energy of the air element:

  • make a wish while blowing bubbles OR divine a message using bubbles
  • burn incense as offering to the gods and to manifest your intentions
  • write your air spell on a piece of paper, take it to the top of a cliff, let it blow away in the wind
  • keep a magical grimoire or book of shadows
  • make a wish and blow out the birthday candles
  • smoke-cleanse your home with burning herbs to rid it of negativity
  • blow a dandelion seed-head and make a wish
  • balloon magick (although not recommended for the environment nowadays)
  • storm magick: harnessing the energy of a storm to manifest your air spell
  • cloud scrying: divination using the patterns in clouds to tell the future
  • cloud bursting: moving air with the power of your mind
  • whispering air spells into the wind
  • working with air element fairies and spirits
  • volunteering your time or resources to a local bird rescue (the energy you offer to these creatures may help manifest your intentions)
  • automatic writing
  • writing and reciting poetry
  • learning and playing an instrument (particularly woodwind, flutes or stringed)
  • singing your intentions
  • chanting your intentions
  • daily words of affirmation
  • feather magick: divination or spells

The Unique Magic of the Air Element

The air element works in conjunction with all other elements to sustain life on this planet. Think about how air works with the others: air fuels fire, moves earth, makes clouds with water. You may notice how some of the air element’s magical properties and associations cross over with the elements. That’s because they all work together flawlessly in the circle of life. As for air, we inhale and exhale air, it cools us off, but it can also be destructive and blow down houses. Without air, we would not survive. Air is whirling, twirling, twisting, freeing. Whipping, swirling, caressing, calling, kissing, misting, clouding, flying. Speak it into existence, whisper it into the wind.

Let’s Dive into the Element of Water

The water element is powerful in so many ways. Humans are predominantly comprised of water. Water flows into and through our bodies and is necessary for our continued existence. We are suspended in a life giving liquid while growing inside of the womb. Water falls gently from the sky to nourish the earth and help the flora to grow and thrive. The water embraces sea creatures, an unexplored underwater landscape, and falls from the sky above to feed the earth.

Water, the element of fluidity and intuition, mirrors the ebb and flow of life itself. It represents the vast seas, serene lakes, and soothing rivers that nourish the Earth and all living beings. In the realm of emotions, Water governs the depth of our feelings, encouraging us to embrace vulnerability, intuition, and empathy. By connecting with the Water element, witches can navigate the currents of their emotions, tap into their psychic abilities, and embark on a journey of healing and spiritual transformation.

Water magic encompasses themes of emotions, intuition, healing, purification, and spiritual transformation. It allows witches to dive deep into their emotions, heal past wounds, and connect with their inner wisdom. By working with the Water element, practitioners can harness its energy to enhance their psychic abilities, facilitate emotional healing, and invoke a sense of divine flow and receptivity within their craft.

Water, the element of emotions, healing, purification, and renewal. It is the perfect element to work with during the winter months because it is during winter that we spend time reflecting and setting goals for the future. This reflection process often includes shadow work where we confront past traumas to heal and break bad habits. Shadow work is by no means easy and takes more than a little self-reflection to work, but Water can help with the process greatly, especially in the beginning stages.

From an ocean wave to a dew drop, witches use the water element in their magick and spiritual practice for many different purposes.Depending on the tradition and even the individual, water’s magical properties will vary. When the water element means dreams and emotions to one person, it may mean destruction and purification to another.

Water Folklore

Humans have always been deeply connected with water, which makes sense considering we are mostly comprised of water and need it to survive. Just a couple days without water and we die. Our ancestors knew this as well and discovered quite quickly that water had the ability to sustain and restore life, as well as take it away. Throughout history and across all cultures, water was revered, being associated with deities, spirits, souls, and the Otherworld. One of the most famous tales is of the River Styx, the river in Hades or the Underworld that separates the living world from that of the dead. To cross said river, you had to secure passage from Charon, the ferrymen, by paying him a coin. However, water folklore goes back even further.

Before the Roman invasion, much of Europe was inhabited by a series of tribes, united by a common language and similar spiritual beliefs, called the Celts. The Celts believed water to be sacred and viewed it as a liminal place, a place between our world and the Otherworld. As such, a series of myths arose around major water sources across Europe. When the Romans, who had their own set of water beliefs and rituals, invaded, they meshed many of the Celtic ideas of water with their own. These traditions were so prevalent and such a cornerstone of society, that when the Christians invaded sometime later, they found it impossible to squash the pagan beliefs. Instead of trying to stamp it out, they wrote over the pagan names with Christian names (much like they did with our holidays), thus preserving much of the folklore related to water, even to this day. From wells and springs to rivers and lakes to the wide-open ocean, folklore abounds.

Across Europe, especially in the UK, there are several sacred wells and natural founts or springs riddled with folklore. While different in location and water type, it was generally believed that these sources of water were imbued with healing properties that could cure just about any ailment. Archeological sites, folklore, and existing wells inform us that there were a number of sacred wells designated across Europe as healing wells.

But not all folklore surrounds freshwater sources. Being as vast and dangerous as it is, the ocean has played a dominant role in human history and thus has its own magical properties and folklore. You could write an entire book on sea folklore and witchcraft, and people have, so I am just going to give a brief overview here. The ocean played a major role in the development of civilizations around the world. For a long time, the ocean was impassible and untameable, which led our ancestors to tie the sea to destruction, instability, and chaos.

And these are all just bodies of water! There is numerous folklore about dew, mists, and rain! Again, there is absolutely too much folklore on these subjects to include in this post, so I’m going to very briefly summarize. Dew has long been a prized magical ingredient, especially in protection and glamour magic. Especially lazy and dirty women and children were believed to be taken away by faeries where they were carefully cleansed by morning dew becoming more beautiful upon their arrival home. Most famously, however, dew was often collected and applied before sunrise on May Day (Beltane) to heal and as a glamour. On the Summer Solstice, it was believed that dew would increase one’s strength. Across Europe, especially in Britain, dew was believed to have curative properties. It was often applied to the eyes to help eye pain or rubbed on warts and freckles to remove them. Dew collected from stones with depression or cups called Bullaun Holes were used by wise women and men in medicines to enhance their restorative qualities. Sometimes the dew was collected with a white rag and tied around the ailing part to help it heal faster.

While dew was often seen as a healer, mists were viewed as a magical veil that was used by spirits of the Otherworld to shroud themselves. Furthermore, Celtic folklore suggests that not only did the fae and other spirits arrive with the mist, but the mist could carry you away as well, bringing you to the water if you weren’t careful. With mist and fog, it is believed all manner of devilish creatures can walk the Earth. People often report seeing black dogs, an omen of death, in the mists or hearing the luring voices of women calling them out to sea. However, in the Haudenosaunee myth The Maid of the Mist, the maiden is a savor who warns her village of impending doom. In almost all legends, the mists act as a portal or gateway between realms, thus becoming an excellent hedge riding tool for astral travel.

Rain, on the other hand, as a complete set of unique myths, but in most cases, rain is associated with life, fertility, and healing. Originally, the rain was associated with spontaneous generation and was believed that frogs and worms came directly from rain, thus associating it with life, abundance, and fertility. Oden, a Norse god of fertility among other things, was also associated with the rain. I’m sure you can figure out what the rain was meant to be in this case. In Greek mythology, rain is believed to be the tears of Calandra, daughter of Hades, mourning the death of her beloved, Orestes, son of Zeus. Zeus and Hades, upon hearing of their love, struck down Orestes and locked Calandra in the clouds to mourn for all eternity. Rainwater has been used in all manner of magical ways, including spells for rejuvenation, healing, protection, cursing, and nourishment. Rainwater alone deserves a post of its own, which I’ll likely do this year sometime in April because “April showers bring May flowers…”

I’ve only scratched the surface of water folklore. There is plenty more from Asia, Africa, and the Americas that wasn’t touched on here. There simply isn’t enough time for me to cover everything in great detail, but this folklore provides a deeper understanding of how important water has been throughout human history. It is the bringer of life and death, a healer and a curse. Without water and all its amazing, properties humans would not be where we are today. It nourishes our bodies, helps our cells and organs function and while aiding plants in creating food. It helps us and our planet maintain a relatively constant temperature and allows cell membranes to form a double layer.

Water Correspondences

Remember, 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 to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.

  • Gender: Feminine
  • Planet: Moon, Neptune, Pluto
  • Time: Twilight
  • Season: Fall
  • Direction: West (although if the closest body of water to you is a different direction, use that instead)
  • Tarot Cards: Cups
  • Zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
  • Symbolism: emotion, intuition, psychic abilities, love, unconscious mind, fertility, self-healing, reflection, lunar energy, deep feelings, curses, death
  • Symbols: Ocean, lake, river, fog, mist, creek, well, spring, pond, rain, shell, sea glass, driftwood, cup, chalice, bowl, trident, seaweed, hag stones, cauldron
  • Deities: Oshun, Davy Jones, Danu, Grannus, Lir, Llyr, Sinann, Selkie, Sulis, Nix, Nerthus, Nehalennia, Aegir, Achelous, Alpheus, Brizo, Ceto, Doris, Eurybia, Graeae, Nerus, Nerites, Poseidon, Tethys, Thetis, Coventina, Fontus, Juturna, Neptune, Salacia, Tiberinus, Ap, Yami, Ganga, Mokosh, Veles, Anuket, Hapi, Nephthys, Satet, Sobek, Tefnut, Enki, Marduk, Nammu, Sirsir, Tiamat, Hebo, Mazu, Gonggong, Suijin, Susanoo, Cerridwen
  • Nature Spirits: Undine, nymph, mermaid, finfolk, lake ladies, water maidens, Cailleach, water horse, kelpie, bean-nighe, banshee, white woman, washerwoman, water cows, faeries associated with wells, streams, ponds, or lakes
  • Colors: Blue, silver, white, gray, seafoam, indigo, aquamarine, bluish-silver, black
  • Food and Drink: water, tea, apple, pear, coconut, strawberry, watermelon
  • Herbs: seaweed, aloe, fern, water lily, lotus, moss, willow, gardenia, apple, catnip, chamomile, cattail, lettuce, kelp, birch, cabbage, coconut, cucumber, comfrey, eucalyptus, gourd, geranium, grape, licorice, lilac, pear, strawberry, tomato
  • Crystals and Gemstones: Moonstone, pearl, silver, aquamarine, amethyst, blue tourmaline, lapis lazuli, fluorite, coral, blue topaz, beryl, opal, coral
  • Animals: fish, snake, frog, crab, lobster, eel, shark, dragonfly, seahorse, dolphin, sea otter, seal, whale, alligator, crocodile, beaver, octopus, penguin, salamander, turtle, starfish, koi, coral, barnacle, manta ray, manatee, jellyfish, nautilus, heron, duck, geese, crane, swan, water birds, ammonite, dragons, serpents

Ways to connect to Water

If you are a water zodiac sign, your most powerful magick will facilitate the water element to make change. Water magic spells don’t have to be complicated, unless you want them to be. 

  • ritual baths and bath spells
  • making magical waters: rose water, moon water, sun water, war water, etc.
  • send off spell remnants in a flowing river/creek
  • water and mirror scrying
  • asperging (cleansing) by sprinkling blessed water on a person/place/thing
  • messages/spells in a bottle sent off into the ocean
  • storm magick: harnessing the storm’s water to use in magickal endeavors
  • working with sea gods and goddesses
  • brewing teas and other concoctions
  • making herb-infused oils and salves
  • floating candle spells
  • cleansing/purification ritual by swimming in the ocean/river/lake
  • collect rain water, ocean water, river water, creek water to use in spells
  • collect dew to use in spells
  • using various magical waters as an offering on altars
  • snow and ice spells
  • making and using moon water https://modgepodgemystic.com/moon-water-a-magical-staple/
  • making herbal sprays for purification etc.

The Unique Magic of the Water Element

The water element works in conjunction with all other elements to sustain life on this planet. Think about how water works with the others: water extinguishes fire or is evaporated by fire, water feeds the earth, water is made with and moved by air. We require water to live and our bodies are made up of at least sixty percent water. The planet is mostly made up of water. Water is our great mother, the creator, and yet in an instant becomes the great destroyer. But remember, where there’s destruction then after comes creation.

Next, The element of Fire

Fire isn’t just without. It comes from within. It’s as much a part of this world as it is a part of ourselves. Fire drives away the darkness. It warms our cold bones and stirs the passions inside of us. Fire does not have its own physical existence like the other elements. It comes into being as light and heat in a powerful and dramatic fashion and then once it has consumed an object, it disappears back into another realm. Fire is often linked to the masculine energies as it is protective. Fire is depicted in volcanoes, the phoenix, and transformations.

Fire is quite the element, associated with new beginnings, energy, courage, anger, passion, lust, war, and purification. It’s the perfect element to work with during the summer months when the Sun is at its strongest, the ultimate source of Fire. Fire is also the perfect element to work with when trying to enact change, especially social change.

Fire dances with an intense and captivating energy, embodying the qualities of passion, creativity, willpower, and transformation. It is the spark of inspiration that ignites our desires, fuels our ambitions, and drives us forward. Just as fire can both nurture and consume, the Fire element in witchcraft represents the potent force of change, the catalyst for spiritual growth, and the embodiment of personal power. By harnessing the essence of Fire, witches can kindle the flames of their intentions, manifest their desires, and embody the transformative nature of this element.

Fire magic encompasses themes of passion, willpower, courage, purification, and transformation. It empowers witches to ignite their creativity, fuel their ambitions, and embrace their personal power. By working with the Fire element, practitioners can tap into their inner strength, channel their intentions with fiery determination, and embark on a path of self-discovery and transformation.

From a candle’s flame to a bonfire, witches use the fire element in their magical craft for many different reasons. Depending on the tradition and even the individual, fire magical properties will vary. When the fire element means passion and success to one person, it may mean emotions and cleansing to another.

Fire Folklore

Fire has long been coveted by humankind as not only a life-bringer but as a source of transformation as well. How we first acquired Fire is debatable and we will likely never know, but the fact that we did allowed humans to prosper and ultimately dominate our surroundings. There are myths found in every single culture around the world explaining how humans first acquired Fire, from the Greeks to the Cherokee to the Hindus to the Aztecs. Almost all of these stories tell a story of theft, the Fire is stolen from some greedy source and given as a gift to humans. In Greek mythology, the titan Prometheus stole Fire from the gods, giving it to man along with the skill of metalwork because he loved humans more than the Olympians who had banished his family to Tartarus. This gift resulted in the progress of civilization and ultimately resulted in Fire temples across Greece.

 In various Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest and First Nations, Fire was stolen by Coyote, Beaver, or Dog and given to humans, while in Algonquin myth it is Rabbit that steals Fire from a man and his two daughters to share with other humans. The Cherokee myth, however, is my favorite of the Native American Fire myths. After both Possum and Buzzard failed to acquire Fire, Grandmother Spider weaves a web to sneak into the land of the light, where she steals Fire from the Sun and hides it in a clay pot. She brings the clay pot back, giving it to humans so they may see in the dark. In Rig Veda, a Hindu text, it is Matarisvan who steals Fire that had been hidden away from humans. All of these myths reveal the nature of Fire; that is it deeply associated with trickery and chaos, most likely because we may think we have control over Fire, but ultimately it is in control. Furthermore, Fire is extremely destructive but transformative, thus leading to the progress of civilization in all of these stories.

Fire was so revered by our ancestors that shrines, temples, and festivals were dedicated to Fire. In Ancient Greece, every private and public hearth or prytaneium was regarded as a sanctuary for the hearth goddess Hestia. In Greek mythology, Hestia was assigned the duty by Zeus to feed and maintain the fires in the Olympian hearth with the fat from animal sacrifices to the gods. As such, she was usually given the first offering during a sacrifice so that she may share a portion with the gods to maintain their Fire.

Hestia’s Roman equivalent, Vesta, played a much more prominent role in Roman culture. She was very rarely depicted in human form, but instead as a flame. Vesta’s temple in the Forum Romanum only allowed entry to Vesta’s priestesses known as Vestals. The Vestals tended the sacred hearth fires of Vesta which were believed to be indispensable for the preservation and continuity of the Roman State.

Across the ocean, two important Celtic deities were honored for their sacred flames. The first was Brigid, who later was Christianized St. Brigid. Brigid, who is deeply associated with holy wells, was also associated with sacred flames. In Kildare, Brigid’s sacred fire was tended to by priestesses since pre-Christian times. However, it wasn’t just Brigid who was associated with Fire in Celtic lore. Belenus (Belus or Baal), whose name means “Shining One,” was one of the most widely worshipped of the Celtic deities. He was the Celtic god of the Sun and was celebrated year-around, but honored specifically at Beltane, an ancient Fire festival on May 1st.

Other Sun gods from around the world, including Ra, Aten, Nanahuatzin, Helios, and Sol, were worshipped year around with the Sun’s heavenly movement. Early humans recognized that as the Sun traveled through the sky that it drove the changing of the seasons. From this knowledge, myths arose to explain what happened to the Sun god during each transformation. In modern Wicca, the equivalent of this story traces the birth and death of the God, who represents the Sun. These myths were so prevalent around the world that early Christianity adopted them and associated them with Jesus.

Apart from Fire’s association with deities, it has long been viewed as a protective force. This likely arose from the fact our early ancestors found that keeping fires lit through the night safeguarded against beasts of the night. Fire quickly became associated with warding off evil spirits, especially in the case of childbirth. Multiple cultures around the world light candles and lamps and keep them burning to ward against demons waiting to pounce on the newborn child and mother. This custom still persists in parts of Britain, Scandinavia, and Germany, where candles and fires are lit around the new baby to keep evil spirits away.

Fire has also been used as a form of divination and as an omen. As mentioned earlier, the extinguishing of Hestia’s and Vesta’s fires were believed to be ruin and bad luck. The Banyoro in Central Africa and the people of British New Guinea will not hunt the following morning if their fire goes out overnight, an omen of bad luck and death. In modern Greece, the behavior of logs in a fire is said to foretell the future. Crackling means that good news or a friend is coming, while sparks and ash flying are believed to foretell trouble and anxiety brewing. On the other hand, in parts of Britain cinders were read to predict major future events, such as births, marriages, and deaths. 

The vast amount of folklore around Fire suggests a few things. First, Fire is an important source of life. It warms, cooks food, and inspires. Second, Fire is an important protector and purifier, yet has the ability to consume all that it touches. In modern times, witches use fire for these same reasons, often as in protection rituals, and to send messages to the spirit world.

Fire Correspondences

Remember, 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 to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.

  • Gender: Masculine
  • Planet: Sun, Mars
  • Time: Noon
  • Season: Summer
  • Direction: South (although in the Southern hemisphere, North may work better for you)
  • Tarot Cards: Wands or Swords (depends on belief system)
  • Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius 
  • Symbolism: Energy, will, destruction, strength, courage, power, passion, lust, sexuality, anger, war, new beginnings, protection, loyalty, transformation, action, movement, achievement, creativity, desire, willpower
  • Symbols: Athame, candles, swords, wands, dagger, lamp, flame, volcano, Sun, stars, lava, heat
  • Deities: Vesta, Hestia, Morrigan, Brigid, Belenus, Freya, Ra, Horus, Prometheus, Vulcan, Hephaestus, Agni, Pele, Ogun, Oya, Sekhmet, Zhurong, Huilu, Jowangsin, Kojin, Fuji, Amaterasu, Arshi Tengri, Odqan, Yal-un Eke, Alaz, Vut-Ami, En, Eate, Alpan, Kamar, Aed, Grannus, Nantosuelta, Sethlans, Logi, Mariel, Cacus, Dazhbog, Kresnik, Peklenc, Svarog, Shapash, Gerra, Gibil, Ishum, Nuska, Chantico, Mixcoati, Xiuhtecuhtli, Iansa
  • Nature Spirits: Salamander, dragon, phoenix, chimera, djinn
  • Colors: Red, yellow, orange, gold, crimson, white
  • Food and Drink: Chili, tea, coffee, beans, curry, onion, garlic, cider, cloves, cinnamon, wassail, garlic bread, beef, ham, oranges, lime, lemon, lemonade, limeade, orange juice, marmalade, spicy foods
  • Herbs: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, basil, cacti, marigold, chilis, garlic, mustard, nettle, onion, heliotrope, hibiscus, juniper, lime, orange, red pepper, poppies, thistle, coffee, jalapenos, lemon, cumin, saffron, coriander
  • Crystals and Gemstones: Carnelian, red jasper, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, agate, rhodochrosite, gold, pyrite, brass, fire opal, lavastone, tiger’s eye
  • Animals: Lion, snake, coyote, fox, ladybug, bee, shark, scorpion, horse, mantis, tiger

Ways to connect to Fire

The fire magical properties are fueled by air. So, essentially, air can be used to fan or increase fire. Water may be heated by fire OR in larger quantities can put out the fire. Fire cooks or burns up earth or can be extinguished by earth.

People who are fire signs tend to be very passionate, driven people. They are sometimes easy to enrage, and love working with the fire element in their magick. If you are a fire sign, fire magic spells and charms will be your most potent form of witchcraft. 

  • Candle spells
  • Sun-bathing / re-charging by sunlight
  • Burning papers with wishes/intentions in bonfires
  • Burning old belongings to release old habits and negativity
  • Hearth magick: cooking, brewing, baking, etc.
  • Fire scrying: divination in candle flames and bonfires
  • Smoke scrying: divination with smoke
  • Burning Incense and Smoke-cleansing
  • Storm magick, particularly harnessing the energy of lightning
  • Solar magick: sun teas and elixirs, sabbat celebrations, etc.
  • Alchemy with metals
  • Crafting sun catchers with magical intentions
  • Sex magick
  • Burning candles as offerings to gods, ancestors, spirit guides
  • Blacksmithing and forging
  • Working with crystals linked to the fire element
  • Following your passion in life

The Unique Magic of the Fire Element

Fire is creative and destructive. It warded off wild animals, intruders, and illness for our ancestors. It also kept them warm and provided a means of cooking. But it could also destroy entire villages and forests, destroying life as we know it. Fire dries/evaporates water, is fueled/extinguished by air, and is fueled/extinguished by earth. The interaction with fire all depends on the amount of each element used. Without heat and fire, our ancestors wouldn’t have survived and neither would we. In Greek mythology, fire was gifted to humans by a god. Let the fire element cleanse you of your past and prepare a path for the future.

Lastly, the element of spirit

This fifth element is not recognized by all paths. It has been known as Akasha or Aether.  No matter what you call it Spirit or Ether (or Soul!) is the element of self-awareness, wholeness, and transcendence. It is a bridge that connects the spiritual and physical soul. It is often represented as white or purple. It is the crown chakra in eastern religious practices and the halo in Abrahamic traditions. Spirit is the element called forth in ritual as it is the force that connects us to the magickal realm.

Spirit is the ethereal essence that exists beyond the physical realm, encompassing the divine, the collective consciousness, and the interwoven tapestry of all existence. It is the universal life force that breathes energy into every being and every element. Spirit, in witchcraft, represents the connection to the divine, intuition, spiritual growth, and the transcendent nature of our existence. By embracing the essence of Spirit, witches can tap into the boundless wisdom of the universe, commune with higher beings, and embark on a transformative journey of spiritual awakening.

Spiritual magic encompasses themes of intuition, divination, spiritual growth, and connection to higher beings. It allows witches to tap into their innate wisdom, connect with spirit guides and ancestors, and seek guidance from the divine. By working with Spirit, practitioners can deepen their understanding of the unseen, explore their spiritual gifts, and experience profound transformations within their spiritual journeys.

Spirit Folklore

Spirit has always existed within folk beliefs, with some of the earliest forms appearing in animistic religions and spiritual practices around the world. Animism, which is derived from the Latin anima which means breath, Spirit, or life, is the idea that all things, living and non-living, have a Spirit within them. It is this Spirit or energy that modern-day witches use when working with magical correspondences, and it’s the foundation of nature-based spiritualities around the world. 

Later, humankind began differentiating living Souls or Spirit from that of non-living objects through the use of blood. Prior to the reign of Psammetichus (664-610 BC), Egyptians equated wine with blood, saying it was the life force of those that had warred against the gods. For this reason, they didn’t leave wine as an offering and believed that drunkenness would drive a man mad for the drunkard supposedly had consumed the life-blood of their ancestors. We see modern manifestations of this idea in Christianity with wine being part of the sacrament as the blood of Christ. The idea that the Soul was derived from blood is also found in a number of myths around the world, including a Chaladae myth which says that humans and animals were born from the blood of a decapitated deity when it mixed with clay.

Later, the Soul became something intangible as the breath of life. In Genesis ii. 7 we see an allusion to this: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” In Greece, this breath of life was referred to as stoic pneuma, which originally meant “air in motion” or “breath” and later became religiously known as the Soul or Spirit. It was believed to be a mixture of Air and Fire that when combined created life. Pneuma was adopted by Judaism and Christianity, sometimes being used to describe the Spirit and other times to describe the wind. No matter the religion, however, Spirit is often a central focus, and protecting the Spirit or Soul is believed to be fundamental in ascending into the afterlife.

Other topics that can be considered tied to the folklore of the spirit or soul would involve soul eaters, demons, ghosts, mental illness and much more but that is for another time. If you want to learn more about demons though you can check out my previous class on them below.

Spirit Correspondences

Remember, 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 to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use. 

  • Gender: Nonbinary
  • Planet: The Universe
  • Time: Infinite
  • Season: The Wheel in Motion
  • Direction: Central
  • Tarot Cards: Major Arcana
  • Zodiac: All
  • Symbolism: Transcendence, joy, hope, wholeness, self-awareness, unity, selflessness, transformation, ascension, harmony, mystery
  • Symbols: Infinity, spiral, the universe, light, helix
  • Deities: All
  • Nature Spirits: Sphinx, World Tree
  • Colors: White, silver, purple, black
  • Food and Drink: wine, liquor, beer, honey, sweets, chocolate, cacao, tea, pound cake, eggs
  • Herbs: Mistletoe, poplar, oak, chestnut, ash, apple, lotus, resurrection fern, cannabis, tobacco
  • Crystals and Gemstones: Quartz, pearl, opal, amethyst 
  • Animals: Dove, deer, cat

Ways to connect to Spirit

The spirit magical properties are fueled by everything. Every thread of energy, and everything in between weaving to hold the multiverse, universe, and collective together. The way we think of the spirit element today is rooted in the Greek thinking of Aether as the fifth element,  it was literally the air the gods breathed. How to connect to those propeties will all revolve around your spiritual beliefs, and practices, and how you choose to connect to the divine both within and without yourself. 

  • Chakra balancing
  • Therapy of any kind
  • Connecting to a god or goddess
  • Working with ascended masters
  • Adding an altar for a deity to your practice
  • Energy work
  • Journaling
  • Shadow work 
  • Reflection of your beliefs
  • Visualizations
  • Adding deities to spells and rituals
  • Honoring a deity at a festival or holiday

Unique Magic of Spirit

Spirit works with all the elements in the same manner: Spirit supports each of the elements and each of the elements supports Spirit. Spirit cannot be separated from the other elements as it is infused in all that we do.

We have talked a lot about the elements but, have you ever heard of the elementals? Or elemental spirits? Let’s take some time to talk about them now. 

What are Elementals?

Elementals are considered interdimensional beings, which means that they can move through different planes. Likewise, they maintain a strong bond with Nature, which is why many cultures consider them protectors or guardians of the earth. Physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493 – 1541) mentioned elementals in his works, highlighting the hybrid quality of these entities, as they are neither humans nor spirits

Each of these beings has the function of guarding and protecting everything that is within its realm of influence. They are considered lower spirits, incapable of incarnating in the material world, so they are generally invisible to us. However it has been claimed that they are capable of assuming human form and other appearances.

These guardians watch over our planet and can aid us in our spiritual journeys if treated with respect. Let’s explore all four types of elementals and see how you can invoke them in your practice.

Gnomes, the Elementals of Earth

Gnomes and gnomids are the elementals of the Earth. They look like old men with their long white beards and ceremonial charm, and reside in the underbrush found in trees, roots, and soil. They can live in the mines of the earth or take care of the hidden treasures that lie there. Gnomes are the guardians of all treasures and precious metals hidden under mountains and deserts.

As Earth elementals, they also like gardens, hence the custom of placing figures of gnomes around the green areas of the home, to call for their protection and wisdom. Though generally a bit grumpy, gnomes are happy to help humans in their earthly quests. They stand ready to impart deep wisdom upon us. As keepers of material safety, you can ask Gnomes for protection in physical matters, and for aid in doing what’s right for the planet.

Their planet is Mars and their zodiac signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

To invoke an Earth elemental, salt can be used as an offering on a plate. You can also bury a coin in the soil to ask them to intercede with the spirits of the earth, so that prosperity and riches come to our lives. Spend time outside and let your intuition guide you to a spot that is special.

Undines, Water Elementals

Undines derive their name from the Latin word unda, meaning “wave”. They come in different shapes such as mermaids or nymphs, but are also thought of as the collective body of water itself. Undines are present in each drop of water.

Their presence represents beauty and dreams. They like to live in and protect the waterways and are relatively benign elementals, historically aiding sailors in safe passage. They are the most closely linked to humans and their appearance can be that of beautiful angels.

To keep Undines present in your daily life, think of water as a close friend. Treat it with reverence; never waste it. With increased honor for this sacred element, the Undine is sure to support your emotional life. Their planets are Saturn and Mercury, and their zodiac signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

Invoking water  Elementals

To invoke the elementals of Water in your practice, work with the cycles of the moon. Perform rituals on full and new moons (also known as Esbats).Set up an altar with water at the center. Allow it to soak up the energy of the moon (Moon Water), and then mindfully drink or bathe in the water the next day.

Salamanders, Elementals of Fire

The Salamander does not necessarily appear as the slithery amphibian one might think, though it does often appear in a reptilian form, closely related to dragons. Fire elementals can appear as little balls of light that glide across water. They are thin and dry, very similar to the grasshopper or cricket, although much larger in size.

The Fire element is associated with two opposites: Creation and destruction. Salamanders can cause, control and extinguish fire. They can root out negative forces, hexes and curses that fall on a person. Fire elementals also have the ability to clean and purify all low passions and all vices, helping to make a change that allows improving everything that hinders one’s development. Their planets are the Sun and Jupiter, and its zodiacal signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

Invoking Fire Elementals

Invoke the Salamander with a flame. Safely light a fire, burn a candle or incense, and practice gazing at the flame’s licks or at the smoke. Feel the warmth of the fire lighting your own internal flame. Call upon the Salamander to reignite lost passion, or give you the strength to carry through difficult tasks. The Salamander is ready to aid in your evolution.

Sylphs; the Elementals of Air

A Sylph, like air, is ethereal. It does not take on a physical form but is seen in wispy fancies, much like clouds. Though some folks actually see fantastical flurries of light and color, the Sylph can appear mentally, even in the thinnest of air.

These creatures of Air are said to look like very beautiful children with rosy faces. They can be the most mischievous in character and they represent thought. They are directly related to inspiration, knowledge, communication and travel.

The spirits of Air are the ones that cause the winds and shape the clouds, they have a preponderant role in the growth of plants, flowers in particular. Sylphs are carriers of the life-sustaining energy that nurtures all living things, the breath. On subtle levels, sylphs transmit the currents of Spirit from heaven to earth. Their planets are the Moon and Venus, and their zodiac signs Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

Invoking Air Elementals

Working with Sylphs is all about intention. Because they lack form, the Sylph is greatly comforted by your faith alone. Pay respect to the Eastern sky, or pay extra attention to the breezes that caress your cheek. To invoke the Sylph in your ritual or spell, practice different forms of breathwork, or gaze at clouds and stars. Look to Sylphs for inspiration and clearing mental blocks.

Conclusion

While the five elements are linked with the beauty of the self and the natural world, each element also contains a darker component. It is through these components that change comes in drastic forms. The earth shakes with tremors, the water rises in tsunamis, the air rises as tornadoes, and fires rage out of control. Each element should be respected for its ability to exist in all forms and treated accordingly.

Take time to work with the powers of each element in your practice. As you journey down the pagan path, usually an element will feel natural to your own magickal working. Embrace it and relish in working with your element, but don’t forget that they all work in tandem with one another!

To expand your knowledge about this path and if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on YouTube below!