Pagan/Witch/Wiccan+ Community

all i'm super clear on is that they're tricky bitches(bitches being a loving and fun term) and that they like snacks on their holidays, but only the kind that wont hurt wild animals. you also shouldnt give them anything of sentimental value when giving trinkets

no problem <3

Also there’s always the warning to not tell them your name in the wrong way, but I’m not positive how accurate that is. Also they can be helpful with the right gifts.

I'm a baby witch on an alt account for safety and I'd rlly appreciate it if someone could help me with these questions. I don't have long, so sorry for the rambling!

1. I see a lot of guides to plants and herbs and minerals and colors etc.. They give the meaning of each thing, like green is related to money and lavender is related to love and peace. What if I don't get the same feeling from the color green or lavender? Am I allowed to assign my own meanings to my natural tools, or is that foolish? In other words, is magic not only eclectic, but subjective? If someone considers something bad luck that I consider good, is only one of us right? Or is it individual interpretation/relation/experience? Is there anything objective in witchcraft I should know? These questions confuse me the most.

2. What the heck is a spell jar and why are they made? Is it just like a long term spell type thing? Like a sigil?

3. I see a lot of spells for warding and protection. What is the protection needed against? And what is being warded off?

4. Are there any weather witches or people here who work with the energies of winds and storms and whatnot? Any tips for me? I've always felt like I've had a very close relationship with the wind.

Thanks for reading! And for your patience with me!

1. it totally depends! some people do assign their own meanings, attach whatever energy they feel fits to stones that have previously assigned energies, etc. witchcraft and the practice of paganism is very far from a linear and straight-set thing

2. spell jars are spells in a jar, lmao. you put your spell items in them, yeah, and they last a while! i guess sort of similar, but some people put sigils IN the jar or on it

3. negative energy, bad memories, bad spirits/creatures, somebody's attempts at revenge through spellwork, things like that. they're useful on halloween!

4. i don't directly or super intensely work with the wind, but i do love collecting rainwater(always properly boil and strain it) and the wind has always touched me spiritually. often, if i'm in need of a confidence boost, and it's a windy day, that's my chance to absorb those energies. light breezes make me feel incredibly happy, so look out for them as a pick me up, especially on warm summer days. and storms are great for charging, and for other spellwork!

I can answer as best as I can in my own version, other witches might have slightly different opinions though, so bear that in mind.

1. I personally believe EVERYTHING in witchcraft and symbolism is subjective to your own interpretation. Except for something like pentagram vs inverted pentagram. Those are things you want to stick to the proven symbols asone invites good things and the other can bring bad things if used improperly. But things like herbs and color, I believe work only because it envokes certain feelings in the witch.

2. Spell jars are another way of performing a spell, from what I’ve seen usually long term spells,
   and it’s just putting multiple things that are directed towards your intentions (ie- crystals, plants, pictures, written intentions, etc.)

3. Anything you feel the need to be protected from! Curses, help warding off mental illness (still go to a psychologist though!!), people with bad vibes/intentions…. the list goes on.
4. And I don’t work with the natural elements intentionally, so I can’t help you there. Sorry. Though I do unintentionally draw from the wind as well.

thank you both so much! a lot has been cleared up now 😊
i do have a follow up question: what's the difference between activating (say, a sigil) and charging?

think of it like a device lmao. charging it at night(though this is with intention), and then turning it on. or, activating it. which just means making it work. if anyone can describe it more eloquently please do dfhjfh

oH, no that makes perfect sense! thanks again

Lol, charging is filling the object, such as a sigil or crystal with your intentions, and there are many different ways to do this and it depends on the witch’s preferences. Activating it would be something like burning, burying, or ripping up a sigil, or rubbing a crystal and drawing the intentions from it. There is no right or wrong way to do either charging or activating, but charging is putting intentions into an object and activating is withdrawing intentions from an object that has been charged.

yeah that lmao. i just can't word

Nah, sometimes simpler is better and easier to understand. You gave the brief rundown, I just went a little deeper just in case the point wasn’t fully across.

things that have happened in the past couple weeks, that have never happened before:

the bathroom door was locked while i was in it. normally my sister is to blame, but everyone in the family including me agrees that she wasn't lying when i asked if it was her. it locks from the inside and we never lock the doors(raised on knocking first even if no one is in there)

i saw a child running in the reflection of a window one night, dressed in a color scheme not found in the area i saw it, and it was very obviously not my sister

found a vase of mine set at a steep angle, in a way that it should not have been.

my bedroom door locked, while i was outside the room. it locks from the inside, i pulled it closed from the outside and never touched the lock

there are a couple other things, i think, but mainly i'm just weirded out because these are news things for me? like my house is obviously occupied by some other spirits and critters of some sort, but they literally kinda just exist and i talk to some of them from time to time(the small shadows that screw around in my room at night, the thing living in the closet) and i've never had any of them really do shit like this. at most, things will move here and there, but usually lighter things. also yes we have a child ghost already so idk where this one came from or who he is but

Hey guys! I'm back with more questions, more so just any tips you may have ^-^

1. How will I know if the fae are messing with me? I know not to mess with them, but what happens if they approach me first? How will I know if that happens?

2. A lot of witches have matron or patron god/esses. I think in the future I'd like to form a relationship with a deity. But I hear a lot that witches "work with" instead of worship their deities. What do we mean by working with? How do they work with us? And what makes them want to keep a relationship with us?

3. Going along with the last question, I'd also like to learn to divine answers from, well, the Divine, to learn more about what deities or energies might be calling me and stuff. Pendulums are simple and I can just use a necklace, right? But I don't know how to keep my hand steady to get unaffected results… I'd appreciate any tips on simple closeted divining.

4. I'm kinda stuck in my craft? I'm learning a lot about the pantheon that interests me most, but I haven't done any practical magic because I don't really have any intentions to manifest. What are ways I can stay involved with my craft? What are ways you stay involved with your craft?

Thank you so much for reading, and I really appreciate the welcoming atmosphere of this chat!

I cannot help there, I’m a mildly-Christian hedge witch, so I got nothing.

Oh worm, there's a witch thread, nice!
I'm a pagan who works mainly with Aphrodite and the Fae

Oh crap, I would never have suspected you to be a pagan. Huh. Also, Josh is also a witch, just for your information.

1. i'd ask our resident beloved friend, who works with them, but i think if things are going missing–particularly shiny things, trinkets, maybe even things that are sentimental–and if you have any issues with blackberry bushes you may want to put out an offering. that's about all i can think of, but just try giving them casual offerings, and do things like plant flowers in your yard, fill up a bird bath, take care of your local flora and fauna, etc

2. ~ offerings ~. generally i've found that my patron/matron is who i pray to when i need guidance, and she lends a hand during any spellwork. basically, for me, it's kind of like asking someone i respect for help on like, a project.

3. can you rest your elbow somewhere? i find that generally helps with keeping my hand steady, and so does not worrying. instead of focusing on steadying it, take a deep breath and focus on the pendulum.

4. i've never exactly been the most ritual practicer, but i find that there are plenty of small things you can do as a part of your craft, and to keep yourself in touch with things! little things like invoking through stirring a drink, using certain spices, and baking certain things are good on the kitchen witchcraft scale. i'm also super into the meanings of items, like stones, feathers, and general symbolism. so that's always a fun one! and burn candles! lots of candles, especially if you're in need of a cleansing because you just feel not-great. i also have a handful of other tips if you're looking for more, just super small casual things

Oooh! Who else works with the Fae?

That's fair!
I tend to just ask for blessings with my art and set out offerings, I've been working with them for probably two years but I still skirt around them :)

I’m 95% sure my best friend has some of the Fae in them somehow. I’m still trying to understand it.

Mm, in what ways do they show signs of uhh, fae-ish?

They can dreamwalk (they’ve intruded on a couple of my own dreams before actually), read auras naturally, sees spirits, people with bad pasts are attracted to them, when some stupid “baby witches” decided to curse the fae (and the moon, but not relevant here) his ex-boyfriend’s mother called the cops on him for a stupid reason, he can tell what the general thoughts of some people are, easily interprets dreams for the most part without being told of any symbolism stuff, animals are highly attracted to them, and yeah, there’s probably more, and those stuff by themselves, separate, might be nothing but he has all of that plied on top of each other including unintentional kleptomania, gets burned by certain silver and all iron, is attracted to shiny stuff, all of that points very heavily to Fae influence.

Wow yeah it does, have you asked about his family's heritage? Look for someone who was there for only a little bit then vanished.

His family is super screwed up tbh. Trying to trace it back will be like trying to find a single needle in the entire face of the earth.