Celtic Paganism - Tumblr Posts

Make a Wish: While you are in the river you can grab a stone and make a wish, while you do so focus on your wish and visualize how it has already materialized. After this, throw the stone with all your strength, go and don't look back.

Here are some userboxes for my fellow pagans! Free to use <3

"Paganism is very subjective and different to everyone and doesn't have rules so don't let anyone tell you what to do 🥰"

Which paganism? Celtic? Norse? Mesopotamian? Maybe Roman?

Paganism is a veeery broad term. You can't just generalize it like that!

People will say paganism this paganism that , then only talk about eclectic paganism with a dash of greek polytheism 😭...

ALL PAGAN PATHS HAVE THEIR RULES, EVEN GREEK POLYTHEISM. IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GET INTO HELPOL JUST TO GET AWAY FROM CONTROL AND RULES, DON'TTTT...

/NBH /NOTTARGETED

The Children of Lir (2022)

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 17 • How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?

As a multi-pantheon pagan, honoring deities from Nordic and Celtic tradition, I can say they go along well - in my case, at least. Same for Loki and other deities from the Nordic pantheon, at least the ones I happened to celebrate outside his own family. I know some had different experiences, but that's so personal I think there's no other way to find out than try.

One thing I'll say, though. Each of us that is called to serve the deities, is called to do so in different ways. From some of us, one specific deity could claim a special kind of devotion. That's my case with Loki - obviously. He never asked me to celebrate him and him alone, but in my case he can be pretty exacting in terms of time and energy - which is lovely of course, feeling him present and near! Even so, I manage to dedicate some time to my other deities too, whenever I feel called to do so, and it's never been a problem. On the contrary, Loki is curious by nature, and often encourages us to explore beyond what we know.

Art: It's a Shapeshifter Thing by slysilver42 on DeviantArt

An Mórrígan is the first Goddess I approached many years ago, and my journey with her is far from over.

Someday I'll write more about my UPG, but for today let's just say that this really resonates with me. 🖤

My UPG with the Morrígan

This is, of course, purely anecdotal and should not be taken as fact, just my experiences with and perceptions of the Morrígan.

I often hear the Morrígan described as a frightening goddess, and I don’t think that’s completely untrue. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think she’s “dangerous” or “not for beginners” or whatever other nonsense the witchtok-ers are spewing these days, but I and a friend of mine both had a first encounter with her that made us uncomfortable and even afraid.

For me, it was more frustration than anything. I was the one who reached out to her first. Specifically, I asked if she wanted to form a working relationship with me, and if I would be allowed to add her to my hearth cult. I got an obscure response, but what I got was basically: “Not yet.”

There was something I had to do, some challenge I had to face, before I could work towards earning her favor. I could worship and offer her all I liked, but to create that reciprocal relationship I wanted meant I had to earn her trust. Honestly, I was frustrated. It drove me crazy. I attempted numerous things. I started working out regularly, changing my diet, so many things that I had been told were issues of mine that I needed to work out to create that perseverance the Morrígan would want from me, but… nothing. Silence.

The thought of her kind of slipped from my mind when my depression and anxiety worsened and I ceased to really have any kind of consistent religious practice at all. I didn’t encounter her again until after I managed to get myself out of that slump.

Taking responsibility for myself, taking advantage of my opportunities, and accepting the help that was offered to me took strength. It took courage. That was the Morrígan’s test, I realized: not just to get myself treatment, to help myself, but also to recognize that getting that treatment was an accomplishment grown from a power I didn’t know I had.

With this revelation came to me, I had already begun encountering the Dagda. I decided to welcome them both into my hearth cult at the same time, after the Dagda implied to me that they came as a package deal.

These days, the Morrígan isn’t as frightening to me, but she does bring with her a certain aura of darkness and power, that incites excitement and reminds me of my own autonomy and my accomplishments.

Other things I’ve noticed about her:

Ever since I started working with her, I have gotten sooo many compliments on absolutely everything. I once asked her to let other people see the gifts she’s given to me (AKA my new-found and hard-earned confidence), and I would like to think those gifts are the source.

She absolutely loves cows. This is substantiated by the texts, because of course cattle were so important for the ancient Irish, but I get the impression that, ignoring their practical uses, she also likes cows because they’re adorable and beautiful creatures. I see her in the eyes of every calf I pet at my local dairy farm!

She’s sometimes called “the jealous wife of the Dagda”, but I believe this is a misnomer. What I get from their relationship is that they love each other deeply, but she doesn’t really care about his extra-marital activities. Actually, as an asexual (non-repulsed) individual, I see that reflected a lot in her. Just a very “sex is good but turning into corvids is better” attitude.

The Morrígan

“Thou hast no power against me," said Cúchulainn. "I have power indeed," said the woman; "it is at the guarding of thy death that I am; and I shall be," said she. The Cattle-Raid of Regamna, from the Yellow Book of Lecan

The Morrígan is depicted in the Irish cycles as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the wife* of the Dagda, and a goddess ruling over the spheres of fate, death, war, and land. She is often associated with ravens, crows, and heifers, whose forms she takes.

Name & Epithets: Morrígan, Morrígu, Mórrígan (Middle Irish— “Great Queen”), Mór-Ríoghain (Modern Irish)

Role as a Goddess of War

The Morrígan is seen in the Cycles as bringing victory in war, or foretelling death in battle. In the Cath Mage Tuired, which describes how the Tuatha Dé Danann overthrew the tyrannical Fomorians, she proclaims the victory of the gods over their enemy and foretells the end of the world. In the Ulster Cycle, she is the sometimes-patron, sometimes-enemy of the hero Cúchulainn, whose death she prophesies after he offends her, and then reminded of his fate by taking the form of an old woman washing his bloodied clothes in a creek.

Role as a Sovereignty Goddess

Sovereignty goddesses in Irish tradition represent the land itself, and thus marriage to one creates a legitimate rule or guardianship over that land. In Early Medieval Ireland (and perhaps before), a king’s coronation would include a symbolic marriage to the land, thereby granting himself power and legitimacy. The Morrígan is one such sovereignty goddess, or at least perceived as one by the 12th Century, as the Book of Invasions names her the sister of Ériu, Banba, and Fódla, personifications of Ireland married to each of her three kings.

Role as a Triplicate Goddess

The Morrígan is inconsistently referred to as one of three or a combination of three figures. In the Mythological cycle, she is named as the sister of Badb (’crow’), a war goddess, and Macha, a land goddess. Together, they are called the three Morrígna. Macha is also the name of several other figures, and Badb appears barely distinguishable from the Morrígan. Whatever the case, the names appear less like the archetypal ‘Maiden, Mother, Crone’, and more like simply different aspects of the goddess given different titles, as is common in Irish religion.

*Marriage with the Dagda

The fact of her “marriage” with the Dagda is contentious but well-supported by the texts we have access to. One of her best-known stories from the Cath Mage Tuired is the Dagda’s pact with her before the battle against the Formorians. This part of the text is often mistranslated as the Dagda meeting her [for the first time] at a certain point in the year, when really a perhaps more accurate translation would be “On this day [near Samhain] the Dagda met her yearly.” Additionally, the “union” described between her and the Dagda does not appear to be purely sexual. The word used, ‘oentaith’ is difficult to translate but probably also refers to a general agreement/pact [dil.ie/33541], not unlike a modern marriage. Additionally, as a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a ceremonial marriage to a sovereignty and agricultural goddess such as the Morrígan would be appropriate for the Dagda and make sense to an early Irish audience.

My UPG with the Morrígan

Recommended reading + Sources

Cath Mage Tuired [Translation] [Original]

Book of Invasions

The Cattle-Raid of Regamna

An oaken comb with ancient symbol - Knot of Longevity, wich helps to take health, beauty and longevity.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzZxfurIs-t/?igshid=10sosnjctf30

https://www.etsy.com/listing/705220720/comb-knot-of-longevity

A start of shift prayer:

Gorfannon the Smith, guide my hand.

Amaethon of the Plough, give strength to my back.

Let me lose myself in my labours and find peace in my toil,

May my efforts be fruitful and my respite well earned.

Calan Mai Hapus

Or

Blessed Beltane

This is the bonfire (very small campfire 🔥) I lit today in gratitude and celebration of the start of Summer, and to give my thanks and love to the many gods that hold this day as significant in the Brythonic pantheon, as well as the spirits of this place (the river, mountain and forest), and my ancestors.

As an offering I gave the river a fiery orange crazylace agate stone that I've had for a few years, when my eye was drawn to this tiny spiral in the water, and I found this fossil!

The King of Annwn

Brythonic Paganism Essays: Part I

The Usual Disclaimer: The tales of The Mabinogion and other surviving Welsh texts were once shared orally, passed down across generations, and over vast distances. By the time these stories were finally committed to writing, the Welsh had long embraced Christianity. As a result, what remains in these medieval manuscripts offers only a faint echo of the ancient beliefs held by the Brythonic or Romano-British peoples. Yet, by examining these stories in relation to one another, and drawing parallels with other Celtic or even Indo-European traditions, we may catch glimpses of the older beliefs that inspired them. What follows is simply theory, built upon these comparisons.

There are many contenders for the title of King or Lord of Annwn, the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. So many, in fact, that most Brythonic polytheists I’ve spoken to tend to agree that Annwn, like the mortal world, has multiple rulers. However, I believe these deities share too many similarities to be entirely distinct. Rather, I see them as different aspects or variations of a much older, singular god. Before delving into the gods themselves, let’s examine the key motifs:

The God-King is often depicted as a hunter, accompanied by the Cŵn Annwn—the hounds of Annwn—described as pure white with red ears.

He is locked in an eternal, seasonal conflict, where he can be seen as representing winter, battling against an opponent who embodies summer.

This struggle often revolves around a goddess who symbolizes spring, the earth, or fertility. This mythic framework is incredibly ancient, with perhaps the most well-known version being the story of Persephone in Greek mythology.

The conflict often involves a journey to the Underworld and escalates to such intensity that a mortal king must intervene.

The god is also often depicted as a psychopomp—an entity that guides the souls of the dead to their final destination, much like the Grim Reaper. However, it’s important to note that Annwn wasn’t necessarily viewed as an “afterlife” by its original believers. Instead, it was more of a mystical realm, later misunderstood and conflated with Hell or Hades through the lens of Christian propaganda.

Arawn

Pwyll, King of Dyfed, embarks on a hunt and encounters a pack of white, red-eared dogs bringing down a deer. He claims the kill for himself, only to be confronted by Arawn, the true owner of the hounds, who is also hunting. To make amends for his transgression, Pwyll agrees to a request from Arawn: they will swap appearances and live as each other for one year. Arawn explains that he goes to war every year with Hafgan—a name meaning something like "summer song" or "summer white"—for rulership of Annwn. Despite defeating Hafgan in combat each time, Arawn always loses in the end. As Hafgan lays dying, he taunts Arawn to strike again, and Arawn, unable to resist, delivers the fatal blow—only for Hafgan to be magically revived.

Pwyll agrees to the plan and spends a year living in Annwn disguised as Arawn. Though he shares a bed with Arawn’s Wife every night, Pwyll honors the situation and never takes advantage of it. When the time comes to face Hafgan in battle, Pwyll defeats him but refuses to strike the final blow. With Hafgan dead, his followers recognize Arawn as the true King of Annwn.

Here, we see the recurring motifs of the hunt, the yearly conflict with summer, and the intervention of a mortal king. In this version of the myth, it is the King who travels to the Otherworld, not the goddess who is absent. While the myth lacks a love triangle with a goddess, Arawn’s unnamed Wife does play a role, with her honor preserved, this was included in the story for a reason. The psychopomp element isn’t explicitly referenced in this story, but other familiar themes remain.

Gwyn ap Nudd

Culhwch desires to marry Olwen, the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden. However, Ysbaddaden knows that he is doomed to die once his daughter marries, so he sets Culhwch forty impossible tasks. One of these is to slay the monstrous boar Twrch Trwyth, a cursed Irish king who now roams Britain as a destructive beast. Culhwch seeks help from his famous cousin, King Arthur, who agrees but warns that to hunt this particular monster, they will need the aid of Gwyn ap Nudd.

Gwyn ap Nudd - whose name means "White Son of Mist" - is somewhat preoccupied at the time, having just abducted the lady Creiddylad from her betrothed, Gwythyr ap Greidawl, whose name means "Victory Son of Scorcher." The ensuing conflict between Gwyn and Gwythyr grows vicious. In one particularly brutal act, Gwyn kills a captured knight, cuts out his heart, and forces the knight's son to eat it, driving him mad. King Arthur intervenes and orders the two rivals to cease their war. From that moment on, they are condemned to battle each other once a year, on May Day, until the end of the world.

Gwyn also appears in the poem The Dialogue of Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwyddno Garanhir in the Black Book of Carmarthen. It can be interpreted from this poem that Gwyddno, unaware that he has been slain in battle, meets a warrior (Gwyn) and asks for his protection. During the course of their conversation Gwyddno learns that the warrior has witnessed many battles and the deaths of many of Britain's heroes, and Gwyddno realises he is now one of those dead heroes as he is speaking to Gwyn ap Nudd.

Later traditions place Gwyn at the head of the Wild Hunt as the King of the Tylwyth Teg, the fair folk, the inhabitants of Annwn, where he rides his host on the night between October 31st/November 1st looking for the souls of the dead. He hunts with the Cwn Annwn, the same pack of dogs Arawn had.

Let's go through all this. We have two examples of a Hunt motif, the Hunting of Twrch Trwyth, and The Wild Hunt. Both can be seen as metaphors for Gwyn's role as a psychopomp, The Wild Hunt is explicitly about the souls of the dead being taken to the Otherworld, and Twrch Trwyth is no ordinary boar, he is a human soul transformed into a monster, and Arthur believes that only with Gwyn with them could they succeed.

We also have a war with summer over a girl. Creiddylad is of uncertain meaning, it could mean "heart-flood", "blood-flood" which is unclear to me, but Gwythyr being "son of Scorcher" seems to be a clear reference to summer, their battle is to commence on May Day, the start of summer, every year, forever. It's also worth noting that the Wild Hunt the night before November 1st is the start of winter. This was of course decided by the (not so mortal) legendary King Arthur.

A note on Gwyn's family: Nudd (pronounced Neathe like breathe) is a god who's name means mist. Getting lost in mist is a sure fire way of getting to Annwn, like a portal, and the Tylwyth Teg, or fair folk of whom Gwyn is king, are said to waylay travelers with mist and fog. Nudd comes from the older Celtic word Nodens, a god associated with healing, specifically but not limited to eyes, as well as dream interpretation. So here we see a god who is responsible for clearing or obscuring vision, both physically and mentally, like mist. Nodens is also closely linked to dogs, hunting and fishing. Lludd is another version of this name, and Lludd is given to be Creiddydlad's father, making her Gwyn's sisters as well as lover, but we don't know for sure if the medieval writers saw Lludd and Nudd as literally the same person, so it's really a matter of opinion.

Gronw Pebr

Gwydion, a magician, trickster, bard and potentially tree deity (more on this in a future essay), has gone to great trouble to bring about the birth of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, Lleu of Many Skills. This includes him stealing divine pigs from Annwn, given to Pryderi ap Pwyll by Arawn and magically impregnating his own sister. As a result Lleu's mother, Arianrhod, has laid three tynghedau on him, which is like a curse or a fate.

One tynged is that Lleu could not marry any woman of any race in this world. So Gwydion, along with his magically talented uncle King Math, created a wife for Lleu out of flowers and named her Blodeuwedd, meaning flower-face. Blodeuwedd and Lleu are happily married until one day, when Lleu is away from home, a hunter arrives.

His name is Gronw Pebr, Gronw the Radiant, and he requests shelter. Blodeuwedd, having never seen another man in her life other than her husband and her creators, falls in love with him. Gronw explains that in order for them to be together, Lleu must die. So Blodeuwedd discovers from her trusting husband the very specific and convoluted means that Lleu could be killed, which involves a spear that takes a year of Sundays to create. She tells Gronw about this, who goes about creating the spear.

When the time comes, Blodeuwedd tricks Lleu into the exact situation in which he can be killed, and Gronw strikes him with the spear. Lleu is "killed" but his body transforms into an eagle that continually rots, and flies away. Using pigs to sniff him out, Gwydion finds the decaying eagle perched in an oak tree, and with his gift of awen (divine talent and knowledge) sings Lleu back to life.

Lleu, Gwydion and Math return for vengeance, and this time it is Lleu who slays Gronw with a spear thrust that pierces the solid stone Gronw used as a shield. Blodeuwedd and her maidens flee, but as they keep looking behind them the maidens fall into a lake and drown and Blodeuwedd is transformed by Gwydion into an owl as punishment, a goddess of flowers cursed to never see the sun again.

This story is a lot more from the point of view of our summer representative Lleu, who's fleshed out far more as a god in his own right in the full telling of it. Lleu specifically is the god of light, as well as being "many skilled" and sharing many characteristics of the "divine son" god that will be explored in the next essay.

Gronw, by contrast, has nothing that indicates winter other than he opposes Lleu and his opposition takes a year of work. He also enters our story as a hunter. The circularity of this conflict is reinforced in the resurrection of Lleu, as winter defeats summer just for summer to return and defeat winter and so on. I am reminded by this resurrection by Gwydion of Hafgan's final strike, which revives him.

Blodeuwedd also gets far more attention in this story than the women in the other tales. A being who is a literal embodiment of spring, fertility and the earth, being made from flowers. It is likely that the owl transformation is a medieval invention. There are other animal transformations in this branch of the Mabinogion that I didn't mention here as they weren't relevant, which also seems to be an addition based on a trendyness of people who shapeshift in medieval literature. However, we also have the maidens falling into the lake, which I imagine is a remnant of the original, in which Blodeuwedd falls in, as the maidens are not really mentioned before so this is an odd detail. Lakes were seen as gateways to Annwn, so here we see Blodeuwedd fleeing to her Otherworldly lover. I personally take the owl to represent Blodeuwedd during the dark half of the year, when she is with her winter lover, awaiting to emerge from the earth in spring.

We have no psychopomping either, but we do have two references to swine herding which seems reminiscent of Culhwch and Olwen. King Math is certainly no mortal, but he seems to be a god involved with magic, judgement and punishment.

A note on Lleu's family: just as Gwyn and Creiddydlad are potentially siblings, so too are Lleu's parents Gwydion and Arianrhod. The story doesn't come straight out and say it, creating the characters of Gilfeathwy and Goewin as stand-ins, probably for the sake of Christian sensibilities. These two are never mentioned again or anywhere else as far as I know, and it is Arianrhod who is pregnant as a result of the whole thing, not Goewin. Some versions even have Arianrhod in Goewin's place as foot holder to Math. Lleu appears as Llefelys in another story, who is brother of Lludd (Nudd). This would make Creiddydlad, the Blodeuwedd-like lady of Gwyn's story, his niece, as well as Gwyn maybe his nephew.

This really nails home how these tales became so mixed up in their countless retellings over space and time before being written down. They spread out and became something unique then smashed back together time and again, but somewhere in there is the important truth. It can be confusing and frustrating, but bare in mind always:

The Gods are not their myths,

Embrace the mystery!

Fellow pagans. Remember that the pagan experience is not purely an ex Christian experience. That experience is worth talking about, but please don't talk about the pagan experience as if leaving Christianity is universal to being neopagan.

Ex atheist pagans deserve to have their experiences acknowledged by the community.

Ex Muslim pagans deserve to have their experiences acknowledged by the community.

Non practicing Jewish pagans deserve to have their experiences acknowledged by the community.

Pagans who have been pagan for most or all of their life deserve to have their experiences acknowledged by the community.

1. I feel disgusted about it.

2. I'm alright with them. It's a nuanced belief and I have no qualms with it.

3. I feel that it ranges from "Wow that's actually awesome" to "WTH I hate this shit."

4. I don't think people can get pregnant by spirits on Earth, but I do believe that sex with spirits can influence the inherent energy of your next child before birth.

5. A practice. Because, a religion, to me, is a set of beliefs with dogma. While witchcraft is a practice that only you define.

6. I hate him. But I can't deny he made an influence in modern day Wicca.

7. I'm fine with it. It's actually my gateway to alternative religions so I don't hate it. It has a soft spot in my heart.

8. I think nothing bad of it until it's regarded strictly to one sex and another, instead of being counterparts.

9. No, because I believe that although experience is very telling of skill, we can't deny that some beginners have powerful magic and can easily go toe-to-toe with some of the "experts".

10. I haven't done my research on him yet so no opinion.

11. I think it's a cool belief system.

12. Witchcraft has been around for so long I can say for certain yes it is political. We have bullshit terms like black and white magic that's just inherently racist, and I see that as political to bring down black and brown people for their versions of witchcraft, and then keeping the white people at the top. Also kings and queens have sorcerers in ancient times to keep the poor at bay. That's political in of itself.

13. Yes. Now is it wise? No.

14. I do believe the deities I talk to are different in terms of personality. I treat them as people.

15. Yes.

16. Oh I wish gods will strike them down.

17. I trust my intuition. Anything that sets of alarm bells in my head, I automatically don't fuck with.

18. Yes. I wish we had a clear division of different beliefs like the old days. Not to fight over them, but to become closer to the roots of our different beliefs.

19. Yes. Hindu does it, so why can't we?

20. I don't. More so because it doesn't tickle my curiosity.

21. I sent hate to a terf blog and a neonazi who were using paganism as a shield for their hate.

22. Yes.

23. Yes. I don't experience it because my traditional craft is nonexistent because of colinization, but I understand others are uncomfortable to have their beliefs basically fucked by another culture.

24. The supermarket.

25. Just claim to be and do your research.

26. Yes I am. I do the spells, research, and I teach.

27. Yes I am. Nothing can shake my beliefs unless my intuition tells me otherwise.

28. We go to an afterlife suitable to life we have lived.

29. It fulfills the calling I've had since young.

30. Expensive herbs and tools.

31. People with the Black Sun as their pinned post.

32. People don't respect each other's culture unless called out.

33. Both

witchcraft ask game

except it's actually real fucking specific and possibly shadow work in disguise idk

What are your opinions on AI in Witchcraft?

How do you feel about pop culture deities?

Opinions on fantasy depictions of witchcraft/paganism?

Thoughts on Astral pregnancy?

Do you think witchcraft is a religion or a practice? Why/why not?

What do you think of Aleister Crowley?

Opinions on Wicca?

What do you think of the divine feminine/masculine archetypes?

Do you think they're should be a set period before someone becomes a full-fledged witch?

What do you think of Gerald Gardner?

What are your thoughts on odinism?

Do you think witchcraft is inherently political?

Do you think you can hex/curse/jinx a deity? Do you think you should?

How different do you think your gods are from other religion's gods? What work have you done to deconstruct that?

Do you believe in spiritual psychosis?

How do you feel about TERF witches?

What is your moral code? How do you justify that?

Do you wish paganism were more organised?

Do you think it's okay to have a sexual relationship with a deity? What about romantic (i.e. godspousing)?

Do you research ex-pagans viewpoints with an open mind?

Have you ever been in argument/sent hate to another witchcraft blog? What was the story? Do you still think you were right?

Do you believe in closed practices?

Do you believe in cultural appropriation?

Outside of the online space, where do you get your resources from?

What makes someone a real witch?

Are you a real witch?

Are you confident in your beliefs?

What do you think happens when we die?

Why are you a witch? What need does it serve?

What do you think is a scam in witchcraft?

What post have you seen recently that makes you wanna scream?

What's your hottest take in the witchcraft space?

Do you move out of fear or love?

---

Please feel free to reblog, and send me an ask <3

devotee vs deity! with brigid

saw someone else do this and thought it would be cute <33 i don't necessarily know if devotee is the right word but i feel what i do is more than just work. ✴️

A Guide to Graveyard Work

One of the earliest introductions I had to spirit work as a baby witch was graveyard work. In short, this practice involves building relationships with the deceased spirits of a graveyard, by communicating, leaving offerings and being mindful of their space. It is part of a wider practice known as death work, but this focuses specifically on how to enter and respect what is essentially the 'home' of the spirits you are working with. You can further build on your practice from this.

This is a handy guide to the different aspects of the practice, looking into the appropriate offerings and etiquette, written with a lot of love.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Graveyard Etiquette

There are rules you must follow in graveyards, whether for your personal safety, out of politeness, or following the law of your country. Sometimes these overlap. But sometimes, the rules you hear might be no more than baseless superstition, which there is a lot of concerning graveyards. There are way too many superstitions to list, however -

Some good rules to follow are:

Don't begin this work with the intention of taking from the graveyard or using the spirits in your practice. In the same way you wouldn't take from a stranger, it's important to build a relationship before you ask for things.

Try not to stand on graves where possible, out of respect for the dead but also those mourning them. Sometimes, graveyards are set up so that it is impossible to go anywhere without stepping on something, which is okay so long as you're not intending disrespect. However, do be wary that headstones can fall and the ground can shift.

Some people believe you shouldn't take any photos of the graves. I personally think that if the grave is old enough, it doesn't matter too much. If the grave is modern, it might be inappropriate for those in mourning to see you taking photos.

You can clean up trash, but be mindful of what might be considered trash. Obvious thrown-away food and drink packaging might be appropriate to clean up, but what if someone left a deceased one's favourite food at their grave? Or what if you decide to get rid of a toy or letter left there? Try to avoid cleaning up around the actual graves and focus on cleaning near the gates or in empty areas.

Don't trespass! If the cemetery has set entry times, enter and leave only within those times. Don't jump the fence, and don't enter any areas that are clearly gated or off-limits.

Leave an offering when asking to take something from the cemetery grounds. I don't feel it necessary to leave an offering each time you enter, especially if you plan on visiting often. But, if you want to take something like graveyard dirt or plants growing there, leave an offering for sure. And make sure to ASK. If you feel wrong, it's a no.

If you EVER find anything askew in a graveyard, such as vandalism, theft, or even dug up bones (it happens, I've found them before) PLEASE report it straight to the groundskeeper, associated church, or relevant authorities. It is not your responsibility to attempt to fix these things, or take things for yourself.

Offerings

You can leave offerings at the gate, or on specific graves if you want to work directly with that spirit. You don't always need to leave an offering, but it is a good thing to do when building a relationship and especially when asking to take from the site.

Some good offerings are:

Coins, especially two coins. There is a belief that the two coins are placed on the eyes of the deceased to pay the ferryman taking them over the river Styx. This has been maintained as a tradition.

Flowers. Even better if you look into Victorian flower symbolism for older grave sites and base your offering on this.

Origami. I would often fold multiple tiny cranes and leave them as offerings on individual graves. The best part is they are biodegradable.

I would be wary of leaving any kind of food or drink, as you might attract animals or even cause harm to the ecosystems living there. The same goes for anything made of plastic or that could hurt an animal.

Natural items such as seashells, feathers or stones are great, safe options for offerings.

You could also burn a candle or incense, but remember to stay with them while they burn and make sure they are extinguished when you leave.

Offerings don't have to be physical - you could say a few kind words, sing to them, or even just dedicating time to sit with the dead or talk with them can be an offering in itself.

Protection

I personally don't go into my practice thinking I could get possessed or followed by a demon at any given moment. However, I do think it's important to remember that graveyards can be full of a lot of upset, angry, and occasionally malevolent energies. Even if you don't intend to, these energies can attach to you or be taken home by you and can make you feel off.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself:

Cleanse yourself before and after entering a cemetery, even just by meditating and visualising or by using incense.

Check out my post on shielding techniques, and try to familiarise yourself with the visualisation techniques until you feel comfortable doing them.

Charm an item of clothing, such as a piece of jewellery, as an amulet to ward against negative energies that you can wear.

Find or create a protective sigil or rune that you can draw on something or on yourself.

You can pray to any deities you work with to ask for protection, especially if these deities are associated with death or spirits.

Communication

People who practice death work might communicate with the dead in different ways. They might be clairvoyant, use divination, feel energies or sometimes even just know what the spirits are saying. In any sense, spirit communication is a skill that is very much required in this practice. @koscheys-skull said it best here. You need good communication skills, in the sense that you are still talking to PEOPLE. And you need to go in with good intentions. If you are going in purely with the intention of using the dead for your own benefit, you won't get very far. If you can't talk to and actively listen with some semblance of empathy, you won't get very far. Death work is not an aesthetic, it is not for you to take your emo photos and be disrespectful. it is a serious, difficult and tolling practice that takes a lot of time and refining.

If you have gotten this far, I wish you all the best. It is a difficult but ultimately fulfilling part of spirit work, and if you are ready to dedicate the time and effort to it, you will get a lot out of it.

Thanks for reading! Please visit my tags for more guides, and feel free to reach out with requests for more information. Lots of love.

Pagan Holiday Ritual Template (Simple)

What is a ritual?

According to my definition and understanding, a ritual is simply a religious/spiritual celebration or the fancy word for a spiritual work. What makes it special is its structure and mixture of verbal and physical acts.

1.) Preparing the space

Both physical and spiritual cleaning should be done before a ritual. We are supposed to feel safe and relaxed in the place where we are going to perform a ritual. I believe it is pretty obvious how physical cleaning is performed (vacuuming the floor, wiping dust etc.). However, spiritual cleaning, that is cleansing is usually done by sprinkling some salt, or (salty) water or it is done by going around with an incense a.k.a smoke cleansing - my favourite. There are some other ways too, but these are the most common ones. The goal of cleansing is to remove any unwanted energies from the space. When it comes to my experience, since I perform my rituals at my home, I actually do not have a problem with negative energies but I still do the spiritual cleansing because it sets me in the mood for a ritual. If I am outdoors, however, then I usually leave some small offering for the natural world instead of cleansing, because I believe that the nature is actually pure in that sense.

2.) Self-cleansing

As we prepare our space, we also have to prepare ourselves for the ritual. This can be done by taking a shower or a bath, smoke cleansing, short meditation, short walk in nature etc. After this, we are supposed to be mentally and physically ready for what is to come.

3.) Drawing a sacred circle

Although this practice comes from Ceremonial Magic and Wicca, I like to use it as a part of my ritual structure. A sacred circle is supposed to be an energetic barrier, a ward that blocks unwanted energies and a place where wanted energies easily stay. From my point of view, a sacred circle is simply a border of my sacred space - as churches, mosques etc. have walls which determine a holy and special place in them, I have the sacred circle. The circle also reminds me on Stonehenge or a forest grove, so that is one reason more why I like to use it in my spiritual practice.

4.) Invocation

The word invocation comes from the Latin verb invocare, which means "to call on", "to beg for", "to cite". In this part deities, ancestors and the other beings could be invited to join the ritual. When I say "invite", I must say that so far I have never experienced anything supernatural (nor I have such expectations - at least not anymore) but this step is important for me because I believe that deities and ancestors are going to pay much more attention to me and to what I am going to say. I also like the gest of acknowledging that they are welcome in my sacred and special place.

5.) Celebration

This part of a ritual is what could be called a classic religious celebration. At this stage I usually firstly pray to the deities and my ancestors, then I put on some appropriate music, I contemplate about things that are related to the holiday I am celebrating, I do some divination etc. It is my favourite part of a ritual because it is the most informal - I can freely enjoy in all the beauty of my pagan path and practice.

6.) Feast

The Feast is a part of the ritual where food and drink is being consumed in deities' or someone else's honor. This is the time for the offerings.

7.) Closing

This is the end of a ritual. A farewell is bid to the deities, ancestors and the other beings, if they were called, and the sacred circle is being closed.

Note: This template is how I do my rituals. Not everyone's rituals must or should look like this - that is mostly why I wrote a lot of my thoughts and experiences, to maintain the subjectivity of this template. I hope some of you will find it useful for your spiritual/religious practice.

Moodboard for Brighid!!!!! 🧚👒

Meetin folks

Heya friends! This post is a bit different than my normal posts, but I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately.

I’m a trans, gay Irish/Celtic pagan and folk practitioner, and I haven’t been able to find a community wherein I’m able to thrive like this. None of my friends practice paganism, and it can be hard not having folks to talk to, even though it seems so trivial. In most queer spaces, spirituality is sort of laughed off, and if anyone has any resources, or is in a similar spot as I, please let me know!

I apologize for the downer vibe of this post, but I just hope folks stay happy :D

If you want to connect, lmk! 🤍

echoes of the past.

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guardian of the forest.

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