The Crafts: Wixes, Spells, and the Weaponized Placebo Effect

I'm gonna keep the really small gems I collect in the tiny bottles, with labels
and I'm gonna collect water of different types (rainwater, storm water, snow water) in the big jars :D also with labels!

as for the essential oils I got:
anise
basil
bay
camphor
cassia/cinnamon
cedarwood
clove bud
cypress
eucalyptus
fennel
fir needle
frankincense
geranium-rose blend
ginger
juniper berry
lavender
lemon
lemongrass
lime
litsea
myrrh
orange
palmarosa
patchouli
pennyroyal
peppermint
petitgrain
pine
rose
rosemary
sandalwood
spearmint
tea tree
thuja
thyme
vanilla
vetivert
ylang ylang
wintergreen

and for the herbs I got:
4 oz sea salt
agrimony
alfalfa leaf
allspice
althea root
angelica root
basil
bay leaf
benzoin
black cohosh
black salt
black tea
blue vervain
burdock root
calamus root
marigold petals
caraway seed
cascara sagrada
catnip
chamomile flowers
chickweed
chicory root
cinnamon chips
clove
coltsfoot
comfrey
copal resin
coriander
cumin seed
candelion leaf
dill seed
dragon's blood resin
elder berries
eucalyptus leaf
fennel seed
fenugreek
feverfew
flax seed
frankincense resin
galangal root
ginger root
gotu kola
gum arabic
hawthorn
hibiscus flowers
hops
horehound
hyssop
jasmine flowers
juniper berries
kelp granules
lavender flowers
lemon balm
lemongrass
lemon peel
lemon verbena
licorice root
linden leaf
linden flowers
mandrake root
marjoram
meadowsweet
mistletoe leaf
mugwort
mullein
barky myrrh gum resin
nettle leaf
olive leaf
opoponax
orange peel
orris root
passion flowers
patchouli
pennyroyal
peppermint
plantain
poppy seeds
queen of the meadow
red clover
red rose buds
rose hips
rosemary leaf
sandalwood
sassafras
skullcap
spearmint
star anise
strawberry leaf
tansy
thyme
turmeric
valerian
white oak bark
white sage
white willow bark
wild cherry bark
wood betony
wormwood
yarrow flower
yellowdock root
yerba mate

the herbs and essential oils were mostly "ooooh I don't know what I can use all this for but I'm sure there's something"

 

hoooooly shit what a haul

 

I KNOW
I got paid to dogsit and got $150, so....spent it all on witch things!

 

Goddamn, you sure did!

Lotsa cool stuff you can do with all that. *scrolls through the list of herbs and then...'ah man what no vervain?'*

Edit: wait nevermind you've got blue vervain

 

... And now I'm jealous. :P
By the way, don't forget to look up safety warning for each essential oil before using them! I know people who brush their teeth with tea tree and lemon oils and

 

yeeeeeeeeeeeeee I cannot wait to start doing COOL SHIT :D

don't worry, I'll make sure to look them up!! and...I don't think I'll be brushing my teeth with them any time soon...or ever....

 

Yeah, that's. Not exactly a thing you're supposed to do. Especially since tea tree is poisonous and lemon will actually dissolve your enamel.

 

hooooooooooooly shit that is NOT good.

 

But you see, it's organic and natural so it has to be good for you!

 

because that's not the dumbest thing ever! some things in nature are POISONOUS or ACIDIC. I mean, seriously, people.

 

By the way, I wanted to thank you for writing this up--the Morrígan has often been very close to the hearts of druids and other pagans I respect and admire, but I have often been intimidated by her. As someone so important, I'm scared of showing disrespect or giving her less than her due. (That there are a couple of notable stories of her displeasure or vengeance factors in too, yea.)

Mostly, though, I've found that she....expects me to be an ethical person? That I keep my word and speak the truth, especially when it's uncomfortable. (Learning more about old gaelic cultures, this makes even more sense.)

@chaoticArbiter - oh yeah! Tea Tree oil is for topical use! And should be diluted in a carrier oil. 'Dilute essential oils in carriers' is basically good advice anyhow--makes everything last longer, and they're all SUPER concentrated, so...
(I love lemon and citrus oils. They're all happy and solar and prosperity and cleansing and good for kicking evil and disease in the face and bringing in happiness. "Repels evil and also microbes," what's what it says in my not-exactly-a-book-of-shadows for lemon.)

 

repels evil and also microbes, you say...? hmmm....maybe I'll mix it with water and make a cleaning spray out of it.

 

That sounds pretty familiar, yeah! I find her to have consistently high expectations - she challenges me to do better, but not out of a desire to watch me fail; rather, out of a desire to see me become a better person. And speaking the truth, especially when it's uncomfortable, has been a big part of that for me too.

 

No, Seattle folklife! which probably has a very different vibe. it's typical to find 2-3 witch vendors there at minimum.

 

White vinegar! White vinegar is an amazing cleaner on its own, and being too broke for actual essential oils, I've chucked some citrus peels in my trusty spray bottle of it.

 

oooooh, this sounds good!! I will attempt this mixture and see how it goes! thanks!

 

Oh gods yes. She is the sort who take ethics and values very seriously. The gods in general do, but like Lib says she has very high standards. She helps by pushing people to be their absolute best. Sometimes it might not even look like helping, as in the case of Cú Chulainn's thing. Think about it though, Cú Chulainn wanted glory so badly that he fulfilled multiple prophecies that would cut his life short. Surviving insulting the Morrígan? Beating her in combat while fighting other men? Healing her wounds? That's the sort of thing that people tell stories about. Cú Chulainn got exactly what he wanted and only after he refused her offer of easy street with kingship.

 

Any gods that deal with exchange?
give and take, here i'll grant this wish but you're gonna feel like shit for a while?
stuff like that?

also there are like, hundreds of fertility deities, but none for infertility? or is that all lumped together?
just curious

 

That's lumped together I think. Logically, when you are infertile, you pray to fertility gods for fertility, and when you are fertile you'd pray to the same to take it away.

 

Gaelic gods are very exchange and reciprocity based. It's a cultural thing. Though it's not so much "granting wishes" a lot of the time. I mean, if you're serious about it enough you can definitely make an oath to them. If you do though you better have damn good terms and you better be able to uphold your end of the bargain. Honor's serious business to them, and oaths are real deal shit.

Most of the time though it's more like...Sharing things with friends or family? Like, here have some of my dinner tonight. Oh thank you follower person, here's a tidbit of advice. It's a very habit based thing. A rhythm you get stuck in and can't really leave because there's layers upon layers of social obligation binding you together.

You can of course also ask for things during prayer. I feel that you need to make offerings and such when making such prayers though. Like offerings in general are just a thing you should do, but if you're going to ask for something then you need to be giving them something in exchange. It doesn't necessarily have to be some sort of heavy oath thing, which the more serious sorts of exchanges involve. You do have to offer them things though, I feel. Why should they help you if you aren't willing to share things and give things to them?

As far as infertility goes...I don't know of any dedicated specifically to that. I do know of gods who deal in it though? Though that is because they deal in fertility in general. Basically if the Morrígan is fucking pissed at you and has deemed your home not worthy of her fancy fertility sanctions then you better believe that yard of yours is going to rot.