Bedridden witch: Worship edition

Sometimes as someone who is stuck in one spot, it can be hard to feel connected to your gods/goddesses/deities. However, it’s not as hard as you may think to find some solid methods! Please note that your deities understand your situation and don’t expect you to suffer for them or consistently do things for them!

Click here for the other posts in this series!

Bath Magic Masterpost

Bath AND shower magic, organized by category. Shower magic posts are bolded!

Stress + Calming:

With spoonies in mind:

Glamour + Self Love:

Bringing it into your life:

Banishment + Cleansing:

Elements + Other magical things:

Odds + Ends:

Related posts:

IMPORTANT:

Last updated August of 2022, please inform me of broken links via askbox!

L. Kate Deal, 'The Wild Swans', ''Child Library Readers'', Book Four, 1928

List of Druid Gods and Goddesses✨

Aine - (AN-yuh) Goddess of love, summer, sovereignty. Some said she was the daughter of Manannan, some said she was the Morrigan herself. Aine is very vengeful, and offending her is not wise.

Amaethon - God of agriculture, animal husbandry. Enemy of Arawn. Brother of Gwydion and Arianrhod.

Arawn - God of the dead, hunting, revenge. King of the underworld. Enemy of Amaethon. Possessed a magical cauldron of regeneration. Possesses many hounds who hunt for the souls of the dead.

Arianrhod - Goddess of beauty, fertility, reincarnation, the sky, weaving, enchantment. Keeper of the circling "silver wheel" of stars, a symbol of time and karma. Sister of Amaethon and Gwyddion.

Blodeuwedd - Goddess of flowers, lunar mysteries, wisdom.  She was created from flowers by Math and Gwydion as a wife for the god Lleu. Gwydion later turned her into an owl for killing her husband.

Brigit - Goddess of fire, healing, motherhood, agriculture, inspiration, learning, divination, poetry, prophecy, the forge.  An  ever-burning fire is kept in her honor by nineteen priestesses. Imbolc is sacred to her. Sometimes considered a triple goddess: the Three Mothers. Also known as Brighid.

Cailleach - Goddess of disease, plague, sorcery. A hag, strongly associated with the crone aspect of triple goddesses. The goddess of winter, she brings snow until Brigit (spring) turns her to stone each year. The name means "veiled one."

Cernunnos - God of the hunt, animals, fertility, warriors, nature, commerce, love, the underworld. Known as "the Horned God." Stags are sacred to him.

Cerridwen - Goddess of enchantment, death, initiation, wisdom, inspiration, regeneration, dark prophecy. Moon Goddess, Great Mother and Grain Goddess. She brewed a magical potion of wisdom in her cauldron and forced the young Taliesin to stir it for a year and a day. When he accidentally swallowed the last three drops, he was transformed into a bard and grew very wise. Welsh bards once called themselves Cerddorion "sons of Cerridwen."

Dagda, The - God of the arts, knowledge, magic, music, prophecy, prosperity, regeneration, fatherhood, protection. Known as the "Good God" and "Lord of the Heavens," he succeeded Nuada as high king of the Tuatha De Danann.

Danu - Goddess of the elements (particularly water), magic, wisdom, the earth, cattle. Mother of the Tuatha De Danann, she is the most prominent mother goddess.

Diancecht- God of healing. Crafted a magical well which would resurrect to life anyone thrown into it, although the Fomorians filled it with stones. Had a son named Miach and a daughter named Airmed. See "Herbalism, the Legend."

Druantia - Goddess of fir trees, passion, protection, knowledge, creativity. Queen of the Druids and creator of the moon calendar. Often associated with motherhood.

Epona - Goddess of healing, prosperity, maternity. Protector of horses. Strongly associated with fertility.

Goibniu - God of the forge, brewing, thunder. Smith of the Tuatha De Danann, his weapons could not miss and were always fatal. His brew made the Tuatha De Danann invincible and healed all illnesses.

Gwyddion - God of enchantment, illusion, magic, music, shapeshifting, learning. Sometimes called the Druid of the Gods due to his interests. Brother of Amaethon and Arianrhod.

Gwynn ap Nudd - God of war, death, fallen warriors, the hunt. King of the Sidhe and the Otherworld.

Llyr - God of sea, water, the underworld. Father of Mannanan, who is generally considered more prominent. Also known as Lir.

Lugh - (Loo) Sun god of all crafts, the arts, healing, journeys, prophecy. His skills were without end, and they won him a spot in the Tuatha De Danann. He had a magic spear and otherworldly hounds. Lughnasadh is held in his honor. There are many tales about Lugh's exploits.

Manannan - God of the sea, weather, underworld. Son of Llyr. Shapeshifter. Separated the worlds of humans and faeries.

Morrigan, The - A shapeshifting goddess of magic, prophecy, revenge, war, death. Known as "Great Queen" and "Specter Queen," she often takes the form of a crow. Sometimes considered to be a Triple Goddess, her aspects are listed below.

   Nemain - Maiden. Known as "venomous" or "havoc," she can

      create hatred where there was none.

   Macha - Mother. Known as "battle," associated with horses,

      cunning, and protectors.

   Badb (Bibe) - Crone. Known as "fury," "battle crow," and

      "boiling," she confused warriors to increase slaughter.

Niamh - (Nee-av) Name means "radiance" or "brightness." Daughter of the sea god Manannan, she rode a white horse which could walk across the seas. See "Niamh's Story" for more information.

Nuada - (Noo-ada) God of harpers, healing, historians, magic, poets, warfare, writing. King of the Tuatha De Danann at one time, he had to step down when he lost his hand in battle; it was replaced by a silver one by Diancecht then one made of flesh by Diancecht's son Miach.

Ogma - God of eloquence, inspiration, language, magic, music, physical strength, poets, writers. Invented the Ogham rune alphabet and carried a huge club.

Taliesin - God of magic, music, poetry, wisdom, writing. Known as Prince of Song, Chief of the Bards of the West, and Patron of Druids, he was a great magician, bard, and shapeshifter who gained his wisdom from a potion brewed by Cerridwen.

Pink Moon - April 12 2025

Prepare for the blooming season and make sure you take those allergy meds - it’s time for the Pink Moon!

Pink Moon 🌸

Named for the appearance of spring flowers, in particular the early springtide ground phlox (also known as moss pinks), the Pink Moon often coincides with the first bloom of the season, with trees and fields in flower and a profusion of color returning to the world after the long bleak greyness of winter. Despite the name, the moon itself does not turn pink to match.

This year, the Pink Moon is a micromoon, occurring when the moon is approaching it's apogee, the farthest point in its' orbit from the Earth. The moon may appear slightly smaller or dimmer because of this when it reaches peak illumination at 8:22pm EST this Saturday.

North American indigenous names for this moon include Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin), Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs (Tlingit), Moon When The Ducks Come Back (Lakota), Planting Moon (Tunica), and Frog Moon (Cree). Alternate European names for the Pink Moon include Egg Moon and Budding Moon, and some modern pagan traditions call it the Awakening Moon.

The April full moon is also sometimes known as the Paschal Full Moon, being the first full moon after the spring equinox. The Christian Easter holiday, which has a floating date, occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Moon.

Farmer’s Proverb: A full Moon in April brings frost. If the full Moon rises pale, expect rain.

What Does It Mean For Witches? 🌸

The Pink Moon is a time for reconnecting with yourself and the world around you. The world is giving a good yawn and stretch after a long winter’s sleep and so can we! Get outside if you can and get some fresh air. Explore your area, especially if there’s something or someplace new you’ve been meaning to try. Revisit old haunts and discover what’s changed since the last time you were out and about.

Take a moment to assess your current goals and mark your progress. Celebrate your growth and learn from your setbacks. Assess your boundaries as well. Are you making enough time for yourself? Are you letting things or tasks or people intrude where they shouldn’t? Is there anywhere that you should be standing firm but aren’t?

Balance dedication to your work with playtime and relaxation. Remember that you are not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. Take time to care for your own needs and address those “I’m Sure It’s Nothing” health concerns you’ve been putting off.

What Witchy Things Can We Do? 🌸

By the time the Pink Moon comes around, there’s either one more cold spell working its’ way through or the first true warmth of spring beginning to appear. If the temperatures are rising to sunny pleasantry in your area, it’s the perfect time to start planting your garden.

Whether you have a few pots on a patio or a fully-planned plot or just some well-beloved houseplants, get your fingers into the dirt and transfer those seeds and sprouts to a nice fertile home. You can work various kinds of magic as you do, for growth, fertility, prosperity, tenacity, resilience, protection, whatever seems needful. (This can also be done separate from planting if you're not growing a garden.) If you grow your own plants for your magical practice, you can also bless them for their intended purposes.

If you don’t garden (and not all of us do) but still want to work some plant magic, you can grab your field guide and pruning scissors and go foraging. You can pair last month's Dig Through The Ditches exercise with some foraging and harvesting of the wild weeds growing in your area.

(This month's episode of Hex Positive addresses this exact topic!)

For a fun and easy full-moon spell, set out some gallon jugs of potable water to make Pink Moon Water. This will be excellent for watering your garden…and yourself! (Rainwater isn’t safe to drink these days, and water collected from wild sources is dicey even if you boil it, but drinking water works just fine.) You can also cast spells for creativity, change, fertility, happiness, adaptability, and growth. Use whatever methods resonate with you and remember that the most important component of any spell is the witch who casts it.

The earth is blooming, so let’s bloom with it!

Happy Pink Moon, witches! 🌕🌸

2025 Witches Calendar

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Pink Moon Magic: The Thrilling Full Moon of April 2025, The Peculiar Brunette.

Pink Moon: Full Micromoon of April 2025, The Old Farmers Almanac.

Witchcraft Exercise - Dig Through The Ditches, Bree NicGarran.

Wild Weed Harvests, Bree NicGarran.

Easter and the Paschal Full Moon: Determining the Date of Easter, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

Image Source: NY Post, April 2024.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

Someone stole my pelt.

It wasn't a man that took it from me to steal me as his bride like a traditional selkie story.

It wasn't my mother or my father, trying to hide the truth from me because I came into the world wearing an animal skin.

It wasn't even the doctor who delivered me, trying to make me live a human life because I was some "abomination".

I should have had a pelt, but it never came. My blood, my bones, my very soul seem to cry out for a life I never got the opportunity to live. Born for a pelt I would never wear. A body I could never change into. Something I could only imagine by watching others of my kind, sitting on the docks in communal groups in comfort while I'm "other". The furless, bipedal creature that can't enter the water like they can, watching them with my tiny eyes and hair that sprouts from my head and wearing my funny clothes.

To me, I am them.

To them, I am human.

This fact never killed my instincts. Since I could move, I have wanted to be near water. My infant hands would play with cubes of ice and reach for videos on the old TV screen of oceans and pools and water spraying from broken pipes with a smile on my face. I couldn't keep my hands out of the duck ponds and city fountains once I was able to walk. Then, when I could swim, seemingly no one could take me out of the pool. Even a near drowning experience only made me frustrated, wanting to learn how to swim better so I could go under the water next time.

One year, I found the show H2O: Just Add Water, and I was mesmerized. The idea of being able to visit some magical moon pool and suddenly be able to stay in the sea, swimming effortlessly with a tail I could conjure up at any time was a dream come true. My unrestricted internet access led me down the wormhole of "real spells online", and I was wearing a necklace everyday blessed under some full moon and drinking salty water from a jar every day. I could cry and cry and cry all day when I never developed a single scale, never got a selkie pelt, and couldn't go under the water the way I wanted to.

I can't explain it. I don't know why I am the way I am, but clearly something about me was misplaced when I was born. My wiring, my soul, something innate is meant to be off the land. My hands feel webbed and like they're missing claws. My teeth feel too short compared to what I seem to know they should be. I always want salmon and tuna and trout, yet will never be able to take a bite of any of them. I was born in a dry place, as if trying to keep me away on purpose. I don't know anyone in my life who doesn't think of me as some sort of water being, comparing me often to seals, otters, mermaids, water birds, and yet I feel so much like a selkie who has been forcibly trapped in a house, being told to forget who I am, to not look for the pelt, to not dip my toes in the tides.

It's unfair. I was robbed. Someone took my pelt, and there's nothing I can do about that. But it will never stop me from trying to get as close as possible to living how I was meant to. It won't stop me from walking into the freezing waters at the marina. From digging through sand with my bare hands. From eating every shellfish that crosses my path. From immersing myself, clothes and all, into the running river hidden away behind the trees. From walking the halls with a fur blanket draped around my shoulders, dragging along the artifical floors while I pretend they're sand and rock. From visiting my kind in the wild, even if they look back at me and cannot see what I feel. I'll be waiting forever to get in the water, but I have done what I can by moving towards the coast and out of the mountainous alpine desert.

Nothing will take my spirit from me, even when everything else has been stripped away.

A selkie is a selkie, even without her pelt.

Reminder that the early modern witch hunts didn't target real witches! The whole idea that there were all of these witches around was a conspiracy theory used to create scapegoats, stir up religious fervor, and put money in the pockets of professional witch finders. If you want to learn more, I recommend checking out ESOTERICA's playlist on the witch hunts.

A Prayer For The Honorable & Forgotten : Ancestor Work

I call to the Ancestors, seen and unseen— To those of my blood, my spirit, and my path. To the ones who shaped this world before me, Walking in wisdom, justice, and love.

I honor the bold, the healers, the seekers— Those who protected, who taught, who mended, Who walked with truth and kindness in their time, Their voices still echoing through the ages.

May your wisdom light my way. May your strength uphold me. May your love live on in my heart, my thoughts, my deeds.

Yet I turn from those who wrought harm— Who chose cruelty when compassion was an option, Who upheld injustice instead of standing for what was right. Their influence has no place here, Their voices do not shape my path.

And to the forgotten, the silenced, the lost— I call your names, even if the world has erased them. I offer remembrance, honor, love, and light. May you find peace where once there was none.

Loki

I feel like not enough people know that you can just go do witchcraft. Like yeah, all the pretty and aesthetic things you see online can be really expensive, and if you live in a place where witchcraft is frowned upon it can be hard to hide things, but your practice can literally be anything you want.

Part of my practice is making friendship bracelets with colors of what I want to manifest. I learned morse code and tie my goals into the bracelet. It look like a normal bracelet, no one would know the difference unless I told them. Your manifestations and spells can be verbal and whispered to the wind, your sigils can look like doodled stars or stick figures, your altar doesn't need to be anything more than the tools you use (if you even need an altar). You can put spells together based on what you have and what the things around you mean to you.

You do not need to buy things for witchcraft or have a very visible practice, just do what feels right for you. Your practice is what you make it.

Scottish Divination Practices

by autumn sierra

The Frith

The Frith—translating to “to find”—is a divination charm practice used to gain insight into the future, specifically about missing people or predicting events. Traditionally performed on the first Monday of a quarter, the frithir (seer) would stand in a doorway at sunrise, cross their hands or fingers to represent the equal armed cross, and observe the landscape for omens found in birds, animals, or weather patterns.

The Ritual of the Frith

Saining

Although the practice of saining is used to cleanse and bless primarily through the use of smoke, water, fire, etc, it can also be used as a method of divination. During the saining, the diviner would pay close attention to the movement of smoke and flames of burnt herbs—specifically Juniper, which is a traditional saining herb.

An Dà Shealladh (Second Sight)

An Dà Shealladh is a prophetic ability occurring through visions, and was often associated with Highland seers. Those with the ability were said to see spirits, wraiths, or omens of death and misfortune which would give them insight into future events. It was said to be hereditary, and some speculate that the ability may have unfortunately become dormant in the descendants of previous seers.

Hearth Divination

Once logs had been added to the fire of the home’s hearth and burned, diviners could read the behavior of the wood in response to the flames. Sparks and cracks had varying indications, as well as ashes which could be read similarly to how one reads tea leaves.

Mirror/Water Scrying

Water and mirror scrying are popular forms of divination in modern practice. Scrying with darkened, spiritually significant bodies of water (wells, lochs, lakes, bulláns, etc) was very effective for identifying shapes and visions within the water’s reflection (or lack thereof). In a similar way, darkened mirrors—or black mirrors—are use to mimic this effect. The keek-stane, most commonly known by its mention in Raymond Buckland’s Scottish Witchcraft & Magick, is something of a cousin to the black mirrors that are most popular today in that it uses a glass lens rather than a flat pane.

Creating a Keek-Stane

Oomancy

Egg divination, or oomancy, was a common form of folk divination often performed at Samhainn, Latha Bealltainn, or Hogmanay. It was mostly used to predict marriage, future events, or fortune. An egg would be cracked into a bowl of water, and then the diviner would interpret the shapes made by the egg whites.

Salt and Wax Divination

This method of divination is achieved by pouring salt or hot wax into water. The patterns and shapes created through this method would then be interpreted by the diviner. This method of divination was commonly used during Samhainn and Hogmanay.

Scapulomancy

Scapulomancy is a divination method in which seers would divine the future by interpreting the shoulder blades of animals (usually sheep). Cracks, dents, and other abnormalities in the bones would change the outcomes of the readings. Some would use fire to create the cracks necessary to read the bone, and others would read the natural bone as it was following its cleaning. Scapulomancy was used for predicting weather and harvests, guidance for battles, monitoring the well being of communities, and other fortune telling.

Stone and Fairy Mound Divination

Stones, Hagstones in particular, were believed to enhance An Dà Shealladh when peered through. Visiting fairy mounds at Samhainn and listening to the wind or the whispers of the fair folk and other spirits was another way to divine the future.

Witch Tip - Wild Weed Harvests

When looking around your yard or local biome for wild plants to harvest for your craft, there are several important things to keep in mind:

1 - Prepare for your trip ahead of time. Have some idea ahead of time where you're going, what the terrain and weather will be like, and what plants you want to look for and harvest. Make sure you wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and bring containers, supplies for labeling, and a travel-size resource for plant identification. (Pro-tip: Paper lunch bags are excellent receptacles for harvested plants.)

2 - Look for patches of plants well away from roadways and places which might be contaminated by chemical runoff or pesticides. When possible, select a large patch where your harvest won't wipe out the presence of the plant. (The exception to this is if you are removing invasive plants or weeding a prepared garden as part of your harvesting.)

3 - Make sure you properly identify plants before you harvest them, using a field guide for local plants or an identification app like Plantnet. This helps you avoid potentially harmful lookalikes. (And it couldn't hurt to look up what harmful plants exist in the area where you'll be looking.) Do not harvest endangered plants or plants growing on private property or in national parks. When in doubt, leave it alone.

4 - Take a modest amount of plant material for your stores, no more than you reasonably need, while disturbing the surrounding area as little as possible. Clearly label the container with the species and date of harvest. (Again, I'm recommending those paper lunch bags.) As an added courtesy, you can bring a bottle of water and hydrate the remaining plants to encourage regrowth.

5 - Clean and dry your plant material when you get home, if necessary. Just give them a quick rinse and gentle pat-dry with a clean kitchen towel before placing the plants into your preferred drying device. One simple solution is to cut the flaps off of wide, shallow cardboard shipping boxes and lay out the plant material in a flat layer so that most of it is touching the cardboard. (As opposed to leaving it in a big heap.) Label the sections or the side of the tray and leave your plants to dry.

6 - If you're not using an oven or a dehydrator, allow plant material to dry for at LEAST two or three weeks before breaking it up for storage in airtight jars or freezer bags. Make sure the plants are dry and brittle all the way through to avoid rot and mold in your storage containers and spoilage of the contents. Label and date the containers and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. (If you discover mold or a bad smell in any of your containers, discard the contents and either throw away the container or sterilize it for reuse - this generally only works for glass jars.)

7 - Check back periodically! Give your wild plant patches time to regrow and you can then make additional small harvests on future visits. Also, look for different plants to emerge as the seasons change.

Familiarizing yourself with your local biome allows you to connect with the land where you live (and encourages you to care about it in the process). Also, it can garner you components for your workings for the cost of a few bags and an afternoon stroll.

But wait! What if your local wild weeds don't have magical correspondences? Not to worry - there's an exercise for that.

Good luck and Happy Witching! 🌿

Witch Tip - Wild Weed Harvests

When looking around your yard or local biome for wild plants to harvest for your craft, there are several important things to keep in mind:

1 - Prepare for your trip ahead of time. Have some idea ahead of time where you're going, what the terrain and weather will be like, and what plants you want to look for and harvest. Make sure you wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and bring containers, supplies for labeling, and a travel-size resource for plant identification. (Pro-tip: Paper lunch bags are excellent receptacles for harvested plants.)

2 - Look for patches of plants well away from roadways and places which might be contaminated by chemical runoff or pesticides. When possible, select a large patch where your harvest won't wipe out the presence of the plant. (The exception to this is if you are removing invasive plants or weeding a prepared garden as part of your harvesting.)

3 - Make sure you properly identify plants before you harvest them, using a field guide for local plants or an identification app like Plantnet. This helps you avoid potentially harmful lookalikes. (And it couldn't hurt to look up what harmful plants exist in the area where you'll be looking.) Do not harvest endangered plants or plants growing on private property or in national parks. When in doubt, leave it alone.

4 - Take a modest amount of plant material for your stores, no more than you reasonably need, while disturbing the surrounding area as little as possible. Clearly label the container with the species and date of harvest. (Again, I'm recommending those paper lunch bags.) As an added courtesy, you can bring a bottle of water and hydrate the remaining plants to encourage regrowth.

5 - Clean and dry your plant material when you get home, if necessary. Just give them a quick rinse and gentle pat-dry with a clean kitchen towel before placing the plants into your preferred drying device. One simple solution is to cut the flaps off of wide, shallow cardboard shipping boxes and lay out the plant material in a flat layer so that most of it is touching the cardboard. (As opposed to leaving it in a big heap.) Label the sections or the side of the tray and leave your plants to dry.

6 - If you're not using an oven or a dehydrator, allow plant material to dry for at LEAST two or three weeks before breaking it up for storage in airtight jars or freezer bags. Make sure the plants are dry and brittle all the way through to avoid rot and mold in your storage containers and spoilage of the contents. Label and date the containers and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. (If you discover mold or a bad smell in any of your containers, discard the contents and either throw away the container or sterilize it for reuse - this generally only works for glass jars.)

7 - Check back periodically! Give your wild plant patches time to regrow and you can then make additional small harvests on future visits. Also, look for different plants to emerge as the seasons change.

Familiarizing yourself with your local biome allows you to connect with the land where you live (and encourages you to care about it in the process). Also, it can garner you components for your workings for the cost of a few bags and an afternoon stroll.

But wait! What if your local wild weeds don't have magical correspondences? Not to worry - there's an exercise for that.

Good luck and Happy Witching! 🌿

Often, I see many folk in the community asking permission to do things, requiring confirmation that it’s okay to do.

“Should I give this offering to said deity?”

“Can I add this to this spell?”

“Is it okay to do this instead of this-“ JUST TRY IT!! SEE HOW IT GOES!!

We have to accept the possibility of trial and error, and acknowledge the fact that it’s okay to do things our own way. It may yield the same results as another, for its intentions that matter after all in most cases; it doesn’t hurt to try something new (as long as, obviously, it’s not an act that will harm oneself or any other living thing)

𖦹*ੈ‧ 𝚂𝚎𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜 𓇼 ₊˚𓆝

Chakras - What they really are

(I managed to salvage this post written by @rue-cimon from an old deactivated account. I copied it down here because this was too good a post to lose.)

Chakra literally means "wheel" or "circle" in Sanskrit. The concept of chakras originates from Hinduism in ancient India. These are focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation or yoga practices. These practices are collectively called "tantra".