i’ve seen the #pathandpractice tag circling around, and i really want to join in! i need more witchy friends, but i’m too shy to reach out to others ꒰ · ◡ · ꒱ this is me trying to make friends @.@

about the witch . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

basic information

feel free to call me either marie or etheri! i’m 24 years old, my pronouns are she/ her, and i am a proud femme lesbian. if you really want to get to know me, google “infp”. i’m like, the textbook definition of an infp ꒰ · ◡ · ꒱

a bit about my craft

i’ve been practicing since 2019-ish. i’ve dabbled in loads of stuff along my path, but these days my focus is primarily on divination! i also have worked with the fae for a while, but i don’t really talk about that often on this blog (maybe i’ll share more about it one day?).

lately, though, i’ve reached a sort of cross-roads along my path. i’ve been looking into hellenic polytheism, and while i haven’t decided whether or not i wish to convert yet, i’m still deeply interested! my current read is “greek religion” by walter berkhert.

non-witchy fun facts

~ i work in law, and am currently pursuing a career as a paralegal!

~ i enjoy reading, embroidery, and playing games on my modded 3ds

~ my favorite color is pink (could you tell?)

~ my favorite music acts include malice mizer, illit, sabrina carpenter, kuroyume, and tyla

~i have a pet hamster named dough

~ in my life, i have required the assistance of poison control 4 times so far. i guess i have a habit of accidentally poisoning myself?

sejdkvinna:

spirits don’t have to be your friend. the rock in your backyard doesn’t have to behave like a human or be useful to you to deserve respect. there is inherent value in loving the web of spirits that surrounds us without asking what they can do for us.

A Path and Practice game of tag!

Hi!! This is a little game I came up with to spark a bit more interaction with other members of this tag (pun intended)! My goal for the New Year was to try and make more friends, and that means interacting more with others lol

Here’s who’s currently it! It’s Tumblr user @etheribot!

If you want to get tagged, please comment on this post!

« ✦ —⋆——― ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ———⋆— ✦ »

Rules

Tagging others:

~ Only one person at a time will be “it”.

~ If you’re marked as “it”, you have one week (give or take) to find someone else to tag!

~ When you’re tagged, the person that tagged you should send you a message or an ask giving you a prompt for a post they’d like you to make. When you make that post, anyone who comments on that post is open to being tagged! Remember, though, only one person can be tagged at a time!

~ When you’re tagged, please send me a message so that I can update this post to reflect who’s currently “it”. This way, if anyone wants to know they can come back to this post for the most up-to-date info!

~ When you make this post, be sure to use the tags: “pathandpractice” as well as “pathandpractice game of tag” so that others who want to play along can find it!

~ When you tag someone, shoot them a message with a prompt for something you’d like to see them post about. You can look at their blog and try to find something relevant you’d like to hear about from them, or you could try to give them something outside of their comfort zone! Be nice, and collaborate! The goal of this is to spark conversations and interactions!

Getting tagged:

~ If you want to get tagged, find the person who’s currently “it” and drop a comment under their tag post so they know you’re open to getting tagged!

~ If you get tagged, look out for a message or ask from the person who tagged you so they can explain what they’d like you to post about. Remember, you can set boundaries! Don’t agree to anything you’re too uncomfortable with.

~ If you get tagged, but then decide that for whatever reason you don’t want to go through with it, shoot me a message! I’ll take your tag for you!

salixsociety:

Elves, Faeries, Spirit Work and European Animism Masterlist

[wip]

I do not personally endorse all these sources, read skeptically and cross-reference at your discretion. These are, however, all sources I personally use, with varying levels of trust.

Books, Articles, Etc

• Elves in Anglo-Saxon England : Matters of Belief, Health, Gender and Identity - Hall
• Glosses, Gaps and Gender: The Rise of Female Elves in Anglo-Saxon Culture - Hall
• The Evidence for maran, the Anglo-Saxon “Nightmares” - Hall
• Folk-healing, Fairies and Witchcraft: The Trial of Stein Maltman, Stirling 1628 - Hall
• Getting Shot of Elves: Healing, Witchcraft and Fairies in the Scottish Witchcraft Trials - Hall
• Myths and symbols in pagan Europe : early Scandinavian and Celtic religions - H.R. Ellis-Davidson
• Swedish Legends and Folktales - Lindow
• Trolls : an Unnatural History - Lindow
• County Folk-lore - GB Folklore Society
• Welsh Fairies - Mhara Starling
• Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland - Campbell
• Scottish Folk-lore and Folk Life - MacKenzie
• Collected words of Eleanor Hull
• The Denham Tracts
• The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies - Kirk
• The Certainty of the World of Spirits, to which is added the Wonders of the Invisible World by Cotton Mather - Baxter
• Gods and Fighting Men - Lady Gregory
• Survivals in Beliefs among the Celts - Henderson
• The Aryan Household, Its Structure and Its Development: An Introduction to Comparative Jurisprudence ; Chapter II: the house spirit - Hearn
• An Encyclopaedia of Fairies - Briggs
• Northern Mythology: comprising the principal popular traditions and superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany, and The Netherlands - Thorpe | vol 2 | vol 3

—-
If you enjoy my work, please consider purchasing or commissioning some of my written resarch, ordering a reading, or commissioning my art. Click here to see the options. Thank you! Consider joining my Discord community!

(via bioregional)

chronicallydragons:

anyone else ever wish they could lie down harder? Like, I’m already horizontal, but I need more horizontal. I need to be absorbed by the floor. I think that would fix me

similar but not quite the same: sometimes i wish i could take my spine out of my body so that i can stretch it reeeeeeeeeeeeeally good.

i think it would fix me

(via space-queen)

chronicallydragons:

anyone else ever wish they could lie down harder? Like, I’m already horizontal, but I need more horizontal. I need to be absorbed by the floor. I think that would fix me

(via space-queen)

52 Weeks of Faeries | Week 2

Veli

What’s “52 Weeks of Faeries”? Click here for more info!

Post Disclaimer

While I wasn’t able to find anyone specifically saying “Yes, Fijian folk traditions are closed to those outside of the culture”, the predominant magical working in Fiji is voodoo, which is a closed practice. Therefore, I feel it’s safe to say that by extension Fijian folk traditions such as working with the Veli would also be a closed practice. If any Fijians would like to come forward and specify or clarify, please let me know! This post is not a tutorial for outsiders, it’s simply a surface level post to highlight one of the various types of spirits that inhabit our world. If members of the community find the information in this post inaccurate, or if they would like to have something added to this post, please feel free to message me so the proper edits can be made!

I. A Brief History

The Veli originates from Fiji, all over the jungles of the islands that make up the Melanesian country. There isn’t much to read about the Veli online, as most stories about them are passed around orally, but there is enough to get a nice picture of these gnome-like spirits!

One legend about the Veli talks about how it was the Veli who taught the Fijians how to walk on fire! The story goes that many, many years ago, a man named Tuinaiviqalita wanted to earn the favor of one of his village’s elders. He went out to search for an eel to gift to the elder, and after sticking his hands in random holes on the beach to try and catch one, he eventually grabbed hold of something! But, this ‘something’ wasn’t an eel… it was actually a Veli!

The Veli begged and pleaded with Tuinaiviqalita to be released, but it wasn’t until the Veli offered him the ability tame fire that Tuinaiviqalita became interested in what the spirit had to offer. So, the Veli dug a trench in the ground, filled it with river rocks, and set them on fire. The Veli made their way across the burning stones, beckoning Tuinaiviqalita to follow suit. When Tuinaiviqalita followed, he saw that his feet weren’t burned by the burning rocks! With the promise fulfilled, Tuinaiviqalita released the Veli. To this day, Tuinaiviqalita’s decedents in Beqa’s Sawau tribe hold the ability to walk across fire, something they practice in their fire walking rituals.

II. About The Veli

They’re often depicted as short, naked, with “eyes that glow like fire” and “as hairy as a dog”. In fact, this hairy appearance is one of their defining features. It is said that this hair is sacred, and that if you can catch a Veli by the hair they will grant you a wish in order to get you to release them. 

From the stories I’ve read, the Veli appear to be rather skiddish spirits, easily frightened by the appearance of humans. They are practically harmless. Though, like many faeries, the Veli can be a little mischievous, pranking people by making iron items go missing. Other than that, the Veli seem to be a lot gentler compared to fae from other parts of the world. Despite their skiddish nature, they’re friendly and are not known to cause any great harm.

Like many faeries, they love the outdoors. It seems they are fond of all the beautiful landscapes of Fiji. They enjoy music, and there are tales of them singing on hilltops or singing to local Fijians. They like fruit, and it’s even said that they grow their own plantains (and while they are rather friendly creatures, they would not be happy if you cut down their crops!)

The Veli seem to have no explicit “role”. Instead of being protectors like the Chaneque or heralds of death like the Bean-Sídhe, the Veli are simply gnome like creatures that live alongside humans on the islands of Fiji. They tend their gardens, sing their songs, and play cheeky little pranks when they can. As long as their forests and homes are left unharmed, the Veli are peaceful.

III. Sources and More Reading

~ The Veli - Fijian Fairies

~ “Fiji’s Fearless Firewalkers”

IMPORTANT NOTE: This post is purely to highlight some practices I found while researching the Veli, and is not a tutorial on how to worth with them. Remember to always listen to members of the community above all else and to not disrespect them. If you are an outsider to this tradition and still decide to partake in this practice despite being told not to, the spirits will deal with you accordingly.

I hope this post was informative, and I hope you learned something new!!

Next week’s faerie: the Al Ana of Turkic Folklore! 🇹🇷 🇰🇬 🇦🇿

castielsprostate:

updated: for those wanting to help venezuelans these are the best general ways to go about it

cruz roja (red cross venezuela)

doctors without borders & world central kitchen

save the children (general campaign focused on venezuela)

+ the AFSC call to action (US)

(via manlymothman)

witchy reminder ~ for myself and for others who may need it

typing this on my phone at 02:00 in the morning without my glasses on. spelling and grammar mistakes beware

not everything needs to have a reason!

sometimes you don’t need a historically backed up reason to use an herb or an element in your spell. you don’t always need to have paragraphs of reasons why XYZ corresponds with a certain intention or purpose.

of course, using ingredients with rich histories and thorough explanations is great and i highly recommend it, but also sometimes it’s equally as good to just do something because it feels right for you!

research is ultra-mega important, but so is listening to your gut instinct.

if you want to use an ingredient in a spell for no other reason than “idk i just think it’ll go well”, do it!

you may come to learn that ingredient is highly successful in that type of spell. or, you may learn that type of ingredient is not so successful. either way, you’ll learn something new, and isn’t that one of the main points of life?

52 Weeks of Faeries | Week 1

Chaneque

What’s “52 Weeks of Faeries”? Click here for more info!

Post Disclaimer

The Chaneque is a species of faerie that is a part of indigenous Aztec tradition, a closed path open only to those with ties to the Nahua culture. This post is not a tutorial for outsiders, it’s simply a surface level post to highlight one of the various types of spirits that inhabit our world. If members of the community find the information in this post inaccurate, or if they would like to have something added to this post, please feel free to message me so the proper edits can be made!

ALT

I. A Brief History

The Chaneque is a type of nature spirit native to Mexico, with documentation dating back to Pre-Spanish colonization era Aztec. The word “Chaneque” is actually a word with Nahuatl origins that means “Inhabitant of dangerous places”.

II. About The Chaneque

The lore of the Chaneque changes depending on the location. Some places peg them as malicious spirits, and some peg them as helpful yet mischievous spirits. This difference in perspective is a common theme amongst many fae folk across the world.

The Chaneque in general seems to be a rather playful group of creatures. While not evil, they seem to be prone to ‘cruel’ pranks. Basically, what’s “playful” to them can be a bit more harmful to us. Though, their pranks can also be on the more lighthearted side too. They’re mischievous!

There are a few different descriptions of what they look like, though the general consensus is that they are small, almost child-like looking creatures. There are some descriptions that describe them as being children with elderly faces.

The Chaneque are often seen as protectors. They live in jungles, caves, rivers, and other such natural places. They protect nature, and they are also able to speak with the animals of the area they protect. There are stories of people leaving offerings for the Chaneque in order to get their protection.

It’s also said, if one decides they’d rather not interact with the Chaneque, that if you wear your clothing inside out while traveling in the forest you can safely make it through without any unwanted mischief.

They seem to enjoy sweet things like candy and fruits, but they also appreciate being thanked for their roles as protectors. (Don’t worry, this isn’t the type of fae in which you can’t say “thank you”!)

III. Sources and More Reading

~ “Tradiciones orales en torno a los duendes y otros seres sobrenaturales asociados al agua en la región sur de Jalisco (México)” by Víctor Manuel Bañuelos Aquino

~ “Chaneques, los traviesos duendes mexicanos” by Janeth Ochoa

~ “The Elves of Old Mexico” by Mary Blake

~ “Mexican Bestiary: Bestiario Mexicano” by David Bowles & Noe Vela

IMPORTANT NOTE: ONCE AGAIN, THE AZTEC TRADITION IS A CLOSED PRACTICE. DO NOT WORK WITH CHANEQUE IF YOU ARE NOT FROM THIS CULTURE. Remember to always listen to members of the community above all else and to not disrespect them. If you are an outsider to this tradition and still decide to partake in this practice despite being told not to, the spirits will deal with you accordingly.

I hope this post was informative, and I hope you learned something new!!

Next week’s faerie:
the Veli of Fiji! 🇫🇯