I used the yarn from the shawl I frogged for #FinishOrFrogAlong to make this cozy, diamond-shaped cat couch. It fits right into the corner of my antique eckbank, in hopes of keeping the cats off the kitchen table.
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@Cat_LeFey@pagan.plus
hometown 4.6.8+hometown-1.3.0Devotional Polytheist. Hedge Witch. Queer. Fiber Artist. House Husband. Posts about Paganism and rural life in the Great Lakes region. (He/Him)
Header is the cover for my blog titled 'Great Lakes Pagan: Life and Craft in the Northern Forest'. The words are imposed over a landscape photo of a lakeshore with pine-covered sandstone cliffs cut out in curving patterns due to erosion.
Profile photo is me: a thin, clean-shaven brunet white guy with glasses wearing his signature grey knit hat.
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I don't know who needs to hear this, but you forgot about your tea.
The annual solar wheel effigy is ready!
I make these from the reed-like stems of the daylillies, wrapped in grape vine. We decorate it with all the flowers and fruits that we can find around the yard, which gives a snapshot of how the harvest turned out. It's been a bit dry, so this year isn't as vibrant, but the lillies grew very tall so the wheel is bigger than usual.
#AutumnEquinox #Pagan
I remember being a beginner witch and having all kinds of things I wanted to do spells for. Youth is a transformative time and there was lots out of my control, so there were a lot of areas to apply magick. I was doing spells each moon.
Then, after practicing for a decade or so, there wasn't much to do anymore. I got to a point where I basically wasn't doing any magick at all for years because there was nothing to fix. My life was just how I wanted it, and I focused on raising my children.
Now, as I'm getting older, I find I'm doing more magick again. But the spells are rarely for myself, they are community magick, political action, and maintenance things like land protections and blessings.
I don't know if there's something like Erikson's Psychosocial Stages for witchcraft, but I have a guess that other witches have gone through a similar trajectory, regardless of actual age. First, there's a focus on the needs of the self, then the household or chosen family, then the wider community.
What stage are you at?
#Witch #Pagan
#TarotTipTuesday
Many people get the idea that in order to be a good tarot reader, you need to memorize the meanings of each card. That is a lie.
Unless by "good" we mean "fast." Yes, memorization will make you a faster tarot reader, which is handy if you wanna do events or something.
If you don't plan on giving readings to a line of people in public, don't worry about it. Just look up the meanings in a book, seriously, take your time.
#Tarot
Living in an extremely cold climate makes plant and animal IDs so much easier. I was looking up what kind of toad I saw, and it turns out there's only two kind that live here, so it's either one or the other.
Same for bats, we have two kinds in the area; the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown Bat.
It's easy to tell the difference, you see, because the Little Brown Bat is little, and the Big Brown Bat is big.
Ok, if the Pope can do it, then so can we:
The use of "AI" to generate "art" is antithetical to paganism.
Literally the only one thing we all agree on as pagans is that climate change threatens life on Earth, and we should do something about it. It is our one unifying tenet.
Wasting precious resources to prop up a planet-killing fad just to generate badly plaigerised "art" goes against this single, definitive belief.
#paganism
September is the month of goldenrod here in the Great Lakes region.
I once read that goldenrod was used for dowsing hidden treasure, so I played around with it this morning. Didn’t find any dubloons, unfortunately.
However, I did clearly find the lay line that runs northeast through my land following the direction that the swamp spreads from the nearby river. Confirmation bias? Maybe. But picking flowers and waving them around as I walk about the yard is probably something I’d be doing anyway, so I had a good time, highly recommend.
#witchcraft #hedgewitch
I have finished my year-long project of making a faire-isle altar cloth for all of the classic neopagan holidays. Each one is dedicated to one of the gods that I worship who I feel most strongly that season.
More details of each deity and their associated symbols in the alt text.
#Knitting #FiberArt #Pagan #polytheism #Witch
We like to play a little solstice game where we guess how many different blooming wildflowers we can find around the yard. It's usually more than you would think. This year was lucky number 13.
The small bouquet serves as an offering to the land spirits as part of a promise to maintain, protect, and grow the biodiversity on our land.
#Solstice #Litha #Witch
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It's hard to put into words how much I love Lake Superior. I love her probably as much as some people love their actual mothers.
Lake Superior contains 10% of the entire world's fresh water, and the locals know how precious that is. She is the lifeblood of the entire region; ecologically and economically. We owe her our existence here, and she claims around 6 lives per year. If that isn't the description of a deity, I don't know what is.
PSA for those with wildfire smoke in the air today: your pets are way more sensitive to the air quality than you are because they have a higher respiratory rate.
Keep outdoor breaks short, make sure to put out extra water, and keep birds and rodents in a room with an air filter.
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2026-06/protect-your-pets-factsheet.pdf
Replying to
One of the oldest healing spells I have is a chant I got from, I think, an Earth Dance festival in like '98 or '99? It was literally on cassette tape, so, pretty old, lol
The basis of the spell is to give strength to a loved one by sharing your own. Technically, it's a binding, like a temporarily handfasting connecting two people to aid in healing.
"I am a circle, I am healing you
You are a circle, you are healing me
Unite us, be one
Unite us, be as one"
#witch
I feel like the older I get, the less magick I do. When I was younger, I had spells set up for nearly every moon cycle. Now, at forty-*mumble*, I only do spells a couple times a year.
Maybe it's from experience and better understanding of what magick can/should be applied to or not.
Or maybe it's because I did all the magick the past two decades to get my life where I want it, and now I'm settled.
It's not like I'm doing less witchcraft, I feel more witchy now than ever. It's just most of my witchy activities look like checking star charts and tarot cards, watering plants, and preserving herbs. I can't tell if this is either a sign of stagnancy or evidence of successful application of Will.
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Here's your #FridayPaganPoll:
Lughnasadh is upon us! Also known as Lammas, or "the bread holiday." Blessed be all the carbs!
Bread-making is a huge part of my pagan practice, so this weekend I want to spread the word and encourage people to try it out.
Have you ever made homemade bread from scratch?
(If you have, share your best tips or recipes! If you haven't, ask questions or vent frustrations. It would be cool to get some gluten-free or yeast-free options in the comments as well.)
#Pagan #witch #Lughnasadh #lammas
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Here's your #FridayPaganPoll: Lughnasadh is upon us! Also known as Lammas, or "the bread holiday." Blessed be all the carbs! Bread-making is a huge part of my pagan practice, so this weekend I want to spread the word and encourage people to try it out. Have you ever made h
Hail Freya, it's Friday! #FridayPaganPoll number 145:
Paganism is historically defined as a polytheistic religion, but our umbrella is broad these days, and we welcome pretty much anyone who wants to come under it and take shelter.
In regards to the belief in gods, which best describes you?
#pagan #witch
Hail Freya, it's Friday! #FridayPaganPoll number 145: Paganism is historically defined as a polytheistic religion, but our umbrella is broad these days, and we welcome pretty much anyone who wants to come under it and take shelter. In regards to the belief in gods, which best describes you? #paga
Every year I harvest and dry a bit of St. John's Wort for magick and the occassional tea. Since it's a natural anti-depressant, it makes a lovely calming tea. Works much better than chamomile, I think, and tastes way better. However, I can only use it very sparingly because it can interact with my heart medication (beta blocker). So I just fill a tiny jar to use throughout the year, and I mostly use it for magick.
It's good for spells that bring clarity and reveal truth, spells for happiness, and for mental healing.
It's a sunny, solar flower that blooms around the summer solstice, and was used for anxiety ("nerve" disorders) since way before its chemical antidepressant properties were discovered.
The species name of St. John's Wort is 'perforatum,' because it has perforations; tiny little pinholes in the leaves that you can see when you hold it up to the sun. It let's the light in.
Also, the yellow flowers will exude a red oil when crushed or dried, which makes it look like its bleeding. This is why it's named after St. John the Baptist, who supposedly had the stigmata. It is also why his feast day is in June. It's traditional to harvest them on June 24th, but here in the North mine aren't usually ready until a couple weeks after that.
The main spell I use it for is a charm on my silver necklace to give me calm and clarity in public social situations. Helps with overstimulation. I cleanse and re-up the spell every couple full moons.
Another regular use is the ritual "someone I care about is upset" tea that you make because there's nothing you can do in a situation except make tea and listen to them while they unburden themselves.
St. John's Wort is an excellent plant friend to have, but like mint, it can really take over an area if you let it. Best to keep it contained to a pot or harvest it in the wild. It's considered invasive in most of the US because it crowds out native plants and it's toxic to grazing cattle. So harvesting a bunch that you see growing out in a field is actually helpful!
#Witchcraft #HedgeWitch
Happy Beltane, everyone!
We danced around the maypole during the brief calm between snow flurries today. Average May weather here in the northern forests.
#Beltane
So the State of Michigan no longer administers driving tests for licenses and leaves it up to private companies. I'm baffled by the ethics of this and how it was even allowed to happen. Tests are $80, and if you fail, you have to take it (and pay) again.
I work with teenagers and the problem is obvious to them, too. They're all like, "Yeah, they fail everyone the first time and then they'll schedule you right away for the next day and pass you."
It would be like if we offered teachers a bonus if they failed students, and then just trusted that they had morals and wouldn't fail kids for extra money.
I have seen quite a few popular pagans convert back to christianity over the years. What's strange is that it's not the christians who make the biggest deal of it, it's us. The community treats it like a betrayal, or that we were hoodwinked and they were faking it the whole time or something.
Here is where we have to be different than other religious groups. We can't pressure or shame people to convert into paganism, and we shouldn't pressure or shame people who de-convert either. "Do what thou wilt" means each spiritual journey is valid, even if it leads back to christianity. Even if they immediately turn around and start calling us sinners or whatever, the most powerful thing we can do is ignore them.
Making a big deal out of it makes it into a big deal. People change, it is the way of things. Bid them well when they leave, let it happen without fanfare, and don't take it personally.
There's a certain type of witchcraft-posting that really grinds my gears; When people make their craft seem much more mystical/mysterious than it actually is by implying that it's dangerous. Like vagueposting about deep transformative workings with an air of "Don't try this at home."
Call it the Crowley Gambit.
Maybe it's because I lived through the Satanic Panic and was directly affected by it, but I think presenting witchcraft as something dangerous does not help anyone. It doesn't help newcomers because it discourages them from trying things, and it could actually harm the community by making non-pagans afraid for their loved ones who want to join.
It only serves to make the person saying it seem more powerful or whatever because *they* can do it, but other people shouldn't because they don't have "experience."
Coincidentally, people who make these kinds of posts are almost always selling something.
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Today's #FridayPaganPoll:
Most pagans believe in some kind of reincarnation, but there are many variations of it. The classic kind that most people know is "whole soul" reincarnation, where the soul is reincarnated one-to-one, and may or may not have memories of the previous incarnation.
There is also what I'll call "partial soul," where only some pieces move on and there is no retention of whole memories.
Which one most closely matches your beliefs on reincarnation?
(This is obviously an extremely nuanced topic, so detailed comments are welcome and appreciated!)
#pagan #polytheism #witch
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Today's #FridayPaganPoll: Most pagans believe in some kind of reincarnation, but there are many variations of it. The classic kind that most people know is "whole soul" reincarnation, where the soul is reincarnated one-to-one, and may or may not have memories of the previou
When it comes to reposting, I feel like there are a few unspoken rules, or at least conventions that are generally agreed upon. Like, how you should credit an artist if you share their work. At minimum, a name, but a link to their website or social media is best.
Also, you should put quotes around words that you have directly copied from anothers' post, and attribute them.
Reposting to add alt text can be helpful and accessible, but you should let people know that's what you're doing so they don't think it's your own post.
When reposting pictures of people's bodies, you're gonna need that body's permission first.
Anything else I'm missing?
Comparative mythology has simultaniosly saved and completely ruined polytheism.
Like, it's cool that people can reach cross time and history to see all of the similarities in the human experience. This builds a great foundation for what life and ritual mean, and brings us all closer, even though we're not worshipping the same gods.
But also, trying to squish the gods into neat boxes and only focusing on the similarities between them makes one lose all of the unique and diverse traits among them. Sure, us humans might fall into large groups of stereotypes, but we are each so much more than a general classification. If we regard ourselves as completely unique individuals, then the gods deserve the same courtesy.
It's tempting to think that there's some super ancient 'one mythos to rule them all,' but let's be real, that's just the monotheism talking. Humans are messy and diverse creatures, and we always have been.
#polytheism
I asked my kids if they wanted to do an egg hunt this year for the Spring Equinox, and they excitedly agreed.
They're both in their 20s.
I had fun setting it up because I could hide the eggs really well in silly places all over the house to make it difficult. They had a great time, turning it into a competition, laughing and shouting when they found one. My husband even joined in while I gloated about my egg-hiding skills.
Anyway, egg hunts aren't just for little kids, let the adults have fun too! I feel like a lot of old pagan celebratory customs are a relaxing of the rules of social behavior. It's permission, for a day, to act like a kid, to be silly, to eat candy for breakfast. I think it's especially important for those of us under our puritan capitalist system, to specifically set aside time to act like a goof and be a bit irresponsible.
The hyacinths are up! Their return marks Beltane in my region every year, so here is my annual appreciation post:
The story goes that Hyacinth was a Spartan prince, and a lover of Apollo. He died tragically when struck by a discus, and the gods made a flower bloom where his blood fell on the soil.
Hyacinthus had a large cult at Amyclae, which he shared with Apollo. Though, some scholars have noted that his name is pre-hellenic, and he may be an earlier cthonic god of the early spring vegetation that dies out before summer. It makes sense, then, that in his myth he is struck down while still in his beautiful youth.
Io Hyacinthus, your blooms are sweet and fleeting!
#Beltane #Hedgewitch
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Tell me all about your pets in today's #FridayPaganPoll.
Before the witch trial era, a "familiar" was simply a close personal pet, most often a dog.
During the witch trials, many stories spread about animals, and sometimes human-like beings who were conjured by witches to aid them with their magick. Really weird and fantastic stuff, like Sara Good's yellow bird who supposedly fed from an extra nipple between her fingers.
In modern neopaganism, familiars are something in the middle. They are usually a pet, but they can also be noncorporeal. They give hints, warnings, and guidance in practice and in everyday life. They can help with divination, confirm intuitions, and also serve as emotional support during hard times.
Do you have a familiar?
#Pagan #Witch #Witchcraft
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Tell me all about your pets in today's #FridayPaganPoll. Before the witch trial era, a "familiar" was simply a close personal pet, most often a dog. During the witch trials, many stories spread about animals, and sometimes human-like beings who were conjured by witches t
Full moon on May Day, and Mars is in Ares, I am expecting y'all to produce some top-tier shenanigans tomorrow 
Years ago, I heard a bit of local folklore that calls for 'three more snows' after the first robin is seen.
As you might know, I have a small obsession with recording weather data, so I have actually been keeping track of this for the past few years.
Turns out, it's about 4 or 5 snows, if you only count the ones that "stick." Maybe the story comes from a bit farther south? Regardless of perfect accuracy, I still think it's a great marker for the seasonal rythm. If I can listen to the robins singing to each other at dawn and dusk, then I know I only have to bear a handful of more snows until it warms up.
Half the villiage has been snowed in for the past 4 days. Usually, the neighbor down the road with a plow on his truck will clear out the main road so we can all get to the highway, but the drifts were so high he couldn't make it. The county grader plow just came through and it was like a block party, everyone came out to watch it go by, lol! One lady gave the driver a box of girlscout cookies, we were all honking our horns and clapping.
Thankfully, we were stocked up, and we didn't lose power, but I sure am glad to finally be able to leave the house! Some roads still aren't cleared, and the local school has closed for the 6th day in a row. At a record 39.5 inches, this was the worst snowstorm I've seen in my life.
Dude, Where's My Car?: Blizzard edition
I will be delaying my Spring Equinox celebrations until Sunday this year because the once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm we got last week has borked everyone's schedules. I hardly ever move equinox/solstice stuff because I like to celebrate when the event is actually happening, but even mother nature has decided to delay spring by dumping over 3 feet of snow on us, so I figure it's okay, lol.
I still took a little time outside this morning for a cup of tea and a breath of fresh air. I also waded through the snow to fill the bird feeder and put out a little hay for my furred and feathered neighbors, who are no doubt struggling with the snow just as we are.
#TarotTipTuesday
Thinking of the minor cards as memories, or small skits of everyday life, can help in memorization and application of the card to different situations.
If the Major Arcana represents the milestones of The Fool’s Journey, then the Minor Arcana are the everyday experiences of living that we all commonly go through. For example, the 6 of Cups is an adult passing on cultural knowledge to a child. The 2 of Pentacles is a person juggling different priorities and commitments, trying to find balance. Or the 10 of Swords, where the character is literally stabbed in the back. These are things that all of us go through in different flavors and intensities throughout our lives.
A tarot deck is the sum of the human experience.
#tarot
So my husband and I are shopping and this young man (maybe 20s?) passes by us with his shopping cart. I notice he's dressed up, wearing a suit coat and a snazzy hat, so I say to my huband something like, "Damn, that guy is dressed fly for a trip to Walmart!"
And he's like, "No, that's a skinhead."
I say, "No way, that dude is totally giving me vibes!"
Then, the young man meets up with a woman wearing a long jean skirt, killer boots, and black lipstick, and I'm like, "No way, they're too edgy to be white supremacists."
So we're out in the parking lot and happen to be pulling out at the same time, and we see the bumper sticker on their car. It's white text on a black background that says something like, "Defend Freedom," or whatever.
Fam, that is how I lost this round of "Nazi, or No?"
Hail Freya, it's Friday! Today's #FridayPaganPoll:
I've been thinking about water lately– namely, local water sources. Pagans often have the desire to build connections with the land around us, and knowing your local waters is a good place to start.
What is the nearest body of water to where you live?
Replying to
The maypoles of years past:
(Wow, this will be my 4th Beltane on Mastodon!)
https://pagan.plus/@Cat_LeFey/114434539996046543
https://pagan.plus/@Cat_LeFey/112368128284285907
https://pagan.plus/@Cat_LeFey/110296461270216052
Replying to
@napalousa@pagan.plus oh cool, there's so much about caves in folklore and myth, it's fascinating. I live near some old mines and they give tours of the caves but I've always been way too nervous to do it, even though it would be a great spiritual experience
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@SJAsh_03@mastodon.sdf.org ah, this is why I like to find older names of places, they're accurate, lol. The river near me is now named after some colonizer, but the original name translates to "place of wild rice" which is much more useful to know.
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@mirabilos@toot.mirbsd.org @noam yeah it's interesting how when you get into the details of classifying wetlands or tributaries, it really shows just how connected everything is, with very few hard and fast lines defining them. Says something about the nature of water.
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@napalousa@pagan.plus ha, modern folklore in the making! I could see future generations calling it Hidden Dynamite Cave or something, lol.
That's a good point about "proper darkness," I remember whdn I moved out to this rural area and the first few power outages were super creepy. It was the silence that got to me the most, I didn't realize how accustomed I was to the constant buzzing of humans and machines. I'd get like 5 feet into that cave and turn right around, nope!
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@kagan@wandering.shop right? I was trying to make a broad destinction between standing water, moving water, and tidal water, but I still don't really know where a bay would fit in...
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@Ashmire@pagan.plus damn, that's why us witches say not to mess with river spirits, they are fickle and tumultuous.
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@qwyrdo@disabled.social I've always felt Hekate more strongly around the equinoxes, because She is a liminal goddess and I feel like these transitional times are Her domain.
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@mirabilos@toot.mirbsd.org Yeah, I feel the same, and especially since they're events that are happening for everyone on the Earth at the same time, even the "normies" mark the date.
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@noam haha, yeah I've been keeping the side and tailpipe clear just in case I need to start it, but my son's car is just a snow dune. We're used to snow in March, but they're saying this is the worst storm the area has seen in 40 years.
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@raye@weirder.earth If I remember right I heard this from an elderly lady in a dentist office, I also get good gossip from the post office. Any place where old locals gather has a wealth of information when moving to a new area.
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@Crazypedia@mypocketpals.online yeah, I'm surprised the news hasn't picked up on it more, around here people are comparing it to 'The Blizzard of '78' which was a huge deal. Like, even the McDonalds and Walmart were closed for a bit, and that never happens! Its mostly just us rural folks still effected tho, because there's only so many plows and they clear the main roads first. The schools are still closed cuz they had to hire contractors to clear off the roof and vents.