the-bewitching-belladonna
Witch, Empath, She/They, 30s, Christopagan
86 posts
Latest Posts by the-bewitching-belladonna
🌹🔥 The Rite of Her Sacred Fires 2025 🔥🌹
On the full moon in May, hundreds across the world perform the Rite of Her Sacred Fires: a cross-tradition devotional rite to Hekate. Since we have no surviving record of festivals dedicated to Hekate, I like to observe this date as a yearly festival honoring the goddess. I have given Her offerings of handmade beeswax candles, honey cakes, pomegranates, and libations of wine, milk, and honey.
Hail Hekate, torch-bearing goddess of the many ways. Savior and protector, three-formed maiden of the golden sandals. May your sacred fires light our path, and may you always bring light to the darkness.
Some little things I've learned over a decade of witchcraft:
If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you
Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.
Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done
When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.
Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control
Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.
Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.
Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work
Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya
Not all trees are nice
The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries
Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.
The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along
Your path is yours and no one else's. It will look like yours and no one else's
May Lord Apollon always give light to you in your darkest moments.
May Lady Artemis assist you in forging your own path - the one least traveled.
May Lord Ares plant your feet on the ground and keep you steady.
May Lady Athena remind you of the power you wield to turn the tide in your favor.
May Lady Aphrodite smile back at you in your own reflection as a reminder of your worth.
May Lord Hephaestus encourage you to look back with pride at your own strength and resilience.
May Lord Hermes guide your steps when they're filled with uncertainty.
May Lady Persephone emphasize all of the beauty that exists in the world around you that has gone unnoticed.
May Lord Dionysus nurse your passion for life, celebrating even the smallest things with you.
May Lord Poseidon aid you in knowing when to assert yourself and when to go with the flow.
May Lady Hestia warm you on your coldest nights and shelter you from every storm.
May Lady Demeter keep your plate full and your cup overflowing.
May Lady Hera show you how to keep your head held high, even when the world heckles you.
May Lord Zeus raise your strengths and talents higher to prove to you how amazing you truly are.
May Lord Haides sit with you on days of worry and offer a grounding hand to hold.
I'm a big supporter of "the gods love you, regardless of how much you're able to do to worship them", but at the same time, it's difficult to forge a relationship with any deity (or even other people) if you don't allow yourself to be known by them. If you don't have moments of vulnerability, moments of silliness, moments of small joy even, then it's difficult to forge relationships or take them to a deeper level. Loving gods (or even other people) can be a scary thing for some people (hell, it was for me), but if you don't allow your heart to be exposed, even just a little, then you're not going to get back as much as you're hoping to.
Anything that's worth anything in life is going to require some level of risk, as terrifying as that feels sometimes, and in my opinion, having a deeper connection with a deity is one of those things that's worth the risk.
My point isn't that we aren't loved by the gods if we don't do a ritual everyday or pray every hour; my point here is that we cannot deepen our bonds if we aren't willing to dip more than just our toes into our deity relationships. Love your gods, and know that you are loved, but they can't really help you if you won't let them in, you know?
Honouring & Offering: Apollo edition
The Sun ☀️ Drawing a sunrise ☀️ Taking a picture of the sun ☀️ Bask in the sun while thinking of him ☀️ Wear yellows and warm tones ☀️ Golden makeup
Music 🎼 Learn an instrument or sing 🎼 Decorate with sheet music 🎼 Support indie/small musicians 🎼 Dance 🎼 Create your own musical chant in honour of him
Healing & Medicine 💊 Donate to health charities 💊 Eat healthily 💊 Learn first aid 💊 Exercise 💊 Expand your knowledge on health care
The Arts 📝 Write poetry 📝 Draw or paint 📝 Create clay models 📝 Visit a theatre 📝 Visit an opera or classical music performance
Oracles, Prophecy & Truth 🎴 Learn divination 🎴 Perform readings for yourself and others 🎴 Dedicate a tarot deck to him 🎴 Meditate with him in mind 🎴 Speak truthfully
Beauty 💄 Wear jewellery 💄 Dedicate an item of clothing to him 💄 Offer rings 💄 Self-care routine 💄 Makeup
Crystals 🪨 Citrine 🪨 Amber 🪨 Sapphire 🪨 Sunstone 🪨 Carnelian
Plants 🪻 Hyacinth 🪻 Laurel 🪻 Apple-trees 🪻 Bay leaves 🪻 Cinnamon
Misc. 💛 Learn his mythos 💛 Respect his twin sister Artemis, mother Leto, lovers, and children 💛 Visit his temples 💛 Include oranges or lemons in your drinks/food 💛 Work with the number 7 and celebrate Sundays
devotional acts for Lord Apollon if you can’t have an altar or want to feel closer to Him:
listen to music!
sit out in the sun
write poetry
draw Him! you may not be the best at drawing but i’m sure He’d like to know how you depict Him
dance to music
create a playlist for Him (songs that remind you of Him or ones that you think he would enjoy)
sing along to music (you may not like your singing as the god of music, He would appreciate it)
if you take any medication, take it if you haven’t already!
being kind to people
celebrating pride
reading poetry if you don’t know how to write (or are too lazy to learn. it’s okay.)
listening to lyre music
maybe learn the lyre if you have the time (and money)
eating citrus fruits
painting
taking care of yourself. He is the god of healing, He would want you to be healthy
every 7th of the month, celebrate Him!
if you have money, donate to LGBTQ+ people in need
altars for greek gods
this post includes hades, persephone, artemis, apollo, aphrodite, hermes, and hekate. for part 2 including zeus, hera, poseidon, hestia, hephaestus, dionysus, ares, demeter, and athena click here, for the titans and protogenoi click here.
keep in mind that this is largely UPG, new age stuff, and historically accurate offerings to the gods include meat, wine, grain (specifically barley), honey, and incense (myrrh and frankincense).
colors can be used for candles, banners, decor, whatever you want
HADES
Colors: black, red, and white for association with death. purple and metallics for association with riches/wealth
Offerings: mint, asphodel, white poplar, pomegranate, coffee, cinnamon, elm, money, chocolate
Crystals: gemstones, black crystals (obsidian, black tourmaline, smokey quartz, etc.), pyrite, hematite, labradorite
Animals: black ram, owl, serpent, Cerberus
PERSEPHONE
Colors: purple, pink, yellow, green for association with springtime. black and metallics for association with Hades. white for purity.
Offerings: pomegranate, flowers, grains, asphodel, lavender, rosemary
Crystals: amethyst, gemstones, moss/tree agate, milk quartz, jade, lepidolite
Animals: deer, ram, bat, talking birds (including parrots)
APHRODITE
Colors: red and pink for love/sexuality. white and blue for association with the ocean. gold for association with, well, gold.
Offerings: roses, chocolate, shells, myrrh, gold
Crystals: rose quartz, pearl, emerald, opal, aquamarine, rhodonite, rhodochrosite, ocean jasper, morganite
Animals: swan, dove, hare
ARTEMIS
Colors: white, blue, black, and grey for association with the heavens. brown and green for association with nature/the hunt.
Offerings: moon shaped foods, frankincense, cypress, mugwort, amaranth
Crystals: morganite, moonstone, aventurine, selenite, celestite, moss/tree agate, amethyst, quartz (specific dendritic), labradorite, silver
Animals: deer, wolf, wild boar
APOLLO
Colors: yellow, white, and blue for association with the heavens. red, orange, and pink for healing. purple and green for the Oracle
Offerings: sun shaped foods, bay leaves, laurel, cypress, playing music, poetry
Crystals: sunstone, amber, calcite (specifically honey and yellow), quartz (specifically rutilated or clear), rose quartz, silver
Animals: cow, snake, hawk, crow/raven, cicada, swan, bees
HERMES
Colors: green and gold for money/luck. white and brown for travels.
Offerings: money, crocus/saffron, strawberries
Crystals: jade, malachite, fluorite, pyrite, lapis lazuli, citrine, alexandrite
Animals: tortoise, ram
HEKATE
Colors: purple, blue, and green for magic. red and black for association with underworld
Offerings: garlic, saffron, crossroad dirt, black salt, ashes, sage, cedar, yew
Crystals: labradorite, obsidian, hematite, black tourmaline, amethyst, bloodstone, serpentine, lepidolite
Animals: wolf, boar, serpent, lion, horse, cow
A photo of a candle being lit on our recent Aphrodite Altar for Valentine's Day
My Thargelia celebration from this weekend. May the gods bless us with bountiful harvest, and ensure all in our communities have enough to eat.
Not enough sage for the shit that's manifesting around here...
How To Cleanse Your Deck
You've been using your cards a lot lately and you are feeling as though your deck might be losing some connection...
You are wondering why readings might not seem as accurate or maybe your deck is not giving you as full of a picture as it previously has...
It might be time to cleanse your deck!
Reasons to cleanse your deck:
You are feeling a little less of a connection
Your deck is being very vague consistently
You don't feel the same power coming from your deck
You just feel like it
You've been doing a lot of readings
There are many reasons you might want to cleanse your deck, those are just a couple of them.
How do you go about doing that?
My favorite method is using dried rosemary and waving it over my deck, then using selenite or clear quartz to charge it.
Other methods:
Placing in a bowl of salt overnight
Use stones you associate with the cleansing energy and place them with it
Doing a full cleansing ritual complete with incantation (this will vary depending on the practitioner)
Simply sitting with your deck and visualizing the old energy leaving the deck
"You can sort the cards into order (Major Arcana 0-21, then the four colors each Ace-King) as a form of resetting the deck. Shuffle it well before you use it again." - via @rosehiphobbit
This can work for any deck you have even if they aren't traditional tarot cards. The idea is to place them back in their original order.
Something I like to do when I am finished with a reading and before I start a reading is something a basic as waving my hand over the deck I am using and stating that I am clearing the energy from the previous reading from the deck.
If you forget to charge your deck when you are done, you can concentrate on the energy you need when you do your next reading with the energy you feel (love, protection, wisdom, strength etc). If you do tend to forget and leave it uncharged, consider setting up a protection so that unwanted energies don't try to settle in. I like to charge the deck after I am done with selenite or clear quartz.
Do you have any favorite ways to cleanse your deck?
(painting: ”The Shower of Gold”, by Edward Francis Wells, 1910)
Full Moon devotional offerings for Hekate 🌕
On the Dikhomenia, after I give offerings to Selene outdoors under the moonlight, I also leave offerings for Hekate at Her shrine. These offerings usually consist of libations, incense, cakes or fruit, and beeswax candles anointed in fragrant oils to symbolize Her torches and the guiding light of the Moon. On the Full Moon I honor Hekate at Her most heavenly, as Hekate Ourania, as Hekate Soteira, the goddess honored by Zeus, the most high. I ask for blessings, guidance, and deliverance from strife, calling on Her shining light to guide me down the best path.
In this way, She is given honors every lunar month in Her different aspects, as protector of the home on the Noumenia, as the goddess of the restless dead and as pyschopomp on the Deipnon, and as a goddess of the heavens on the Dikhomenia. Thus, as a goddess of boundaries, liminality, transitions, and the in-between, She is honored at the end, the beginning, and in the middle of each lunar month.
CERBERUS
I found these awesome crystal bullets at the flea market today so I gave them to Lord Ares
Noumenia Blessings!
On the day when the first sliver of moon begins to show, we give offerings to our household gods. These gods often include, but are not limited to, Zeus, Hestia, Hermes, Hekate, and Apollon in their household aspects. I adorned my hearth with flowers and gave offerings of home baked honey cakes, wine, honey, and incense, while reading the Orphic Hymns of the household gods. I always find the Noumenia to feel like a clean slate, where we can go into the next lunar cycle with a fresh start.
do you know your holy relics?
prints
“You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”
— Krishnamurti
My advice regarding romantic relationships with Hellenic deities
This is a bit of a complex topic, but I feel like it's worth my time to write something about. Intimate and sexual relationships with gods is nothing new. Mythologies are filled with stories of gods taking mortals for lovers and even spouses. Like any relationship between a god and a mortal, it's going to vary from god to god, and mortal to mortal. Being romantically involved with a divine being is going to be different for everyone, so I'm going to offer some insights and advice based on my personal experiences.
You don't have to say "yes". You don't have to date anyone you're not interested in, even if they're a god. A god can take "no" for an answer. A divine being will not force themselves on you or coerce you into any arrangement against your will. If it's not something you want or are up for, just politely decline. If it's something you're nervous about but still might be interested in, request some time to think about it, and give your answer at a later time.
You need to set boundaries. The first thing I did was writing down a list of conditions that I will abide by, and boundaries that are not to be crossed. A divine being will respect your boundaries and will have no problem agreeing to reasonable conditions. Once again, if you need time to sleep on this and ponder this through, simply communicate that you wish to do so. Gods are patient. They literally have forever. They will give you the time you need. They will wait.
You can expect reciprocity. A relationship with anyone, mortal or divine, is a two way street. It's going to be a give and take. You can expect certain things from them, and they can expect certain things from you. There's going to be a level of commitment and devotion, and some amount of work involved.
You don't need to rush. Like mentioned above, gods have eternities. Time is not an issue for them. Take your time, get to know them, figure them out, and build a relationship with a foundation. Don't jump into anything you're not ready for. The Hellenic gods are creative with romantic gestures. They will be happy to woo you, to court you, to press their suits to you.
You don't have to be exclusive. The Hellenic gods themselves are not known for monogamy. They're not going to mind your existing or future romantic bonds with other mortals or other gods.
Most importantly: you don't have to marry them. Taking a lover is not automatically a step toward marriage, at any point, by any means. No one has to marry their lover in the end, no matter how long the affair lasts. This was the first condition I put down: I will not marry you. I have no intention of binding myself to a god in a marriage contract. I'm not interested in being a godspouse. I already have a husband in the mortal realm, and that's enough for me. No divine being would require a marital pact for you to remain in their favor. A love affair can end amicably. An oath of marriage, on the other hand, will be much harder to walk away from, and the Hellenic gods aren't ones to take kindly to the breaking of oaths.
Welcome to The Mountain’s Sanctuary
The Mountain’s Sanctuary is a 16+ magico-religious server focused on centring Goddesses & FLINTA* (frau/woman, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, transgender, agender) divinities. We are beginner/seeker friendly with a hefty library, regular events, & a fibre crafts club.
We have
↝ A wide range of channels for the various polytheisms, as well as channels specifically for thealogy & local cultus. ↝ A completely free to access library & resource section that’s added too by our members regularly. ↝ Weekly questions, a goddess of the moon-th event, & a section for posting profiles on entities. ↝ A zero tolerance policy for transphobes, transmisogynists, racists, fascists, and their friends.
We are
↝ FLINTA centered. ↝ Open to all non-appropriative paths & practices. ↝ Jewish & BIPOC inclusive, we endeavour to make our server a welcoming and comfortable place for marginalised members. ↝ LGBTQ inclusive & run. ↝ Disability & MMIND inclusive & run. ↝ Godspouse & alterhuman inclusive. ↝ Plural inclusive with PK available.
discord link
The Coven: Sha'bat
“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.”
— Carl Gustav Jung
Reminder....
Let yourself be cringe in your worship!!!
The Gods don’t find you embarrassing. The Gods don’t care about seeming cool and professional for the approval of others.
Make that fucking aesthetic photo collage for Aphrodite with cute pics you found on Pinterest .
Dress up like Hermes and go for a damn walk.
Collect random stones you think are cool and put them on your altar.
Put that photo of that cartoon character that reminds you of your deity on your altar.
Make that Minecraft temple to Hekate, domesticate those damn Minecraft wolves for Cerberus.
Make your deities in the sims!
Write soppy melodramatic poetry for Dionysus that no one else will read.
Make self insert fanfics about your favourite Gods and write them all as your best friends. Let them interact with your edgy ocs.
Create an AU where you and your Gods are all characters from your favourite anime.
Record silly little songs for them
Make them paintings that are full of clashing colors and weird forms.
Draw them a fursona
Wear that bright yellow outfit for Apollon.
Put on a dramatic makeup look for Aphrodite.
Call your closest deity that silly little nickname you have for them and let them call you one too.
Share your special interests with your Gods. Design your God as a pokémon or a crystal gem, or a sonic character.
Those losers that try to make you feel bad for being passionate will never have what you have.
In the words of the Great Lord Hermes: “Every human I have ever liked was at least a little bit cringe”
BE CRINGE. BE PROUD. THE GODS LOVE YOU.
Super easy and cheap devotional acts for beginners.
A nice cup and some clean, fresh, water on the altar can often be all you need for daily offerings
Grow a plant on your altar, use your weekly watering as a devotional act. Hermes is currently helping my peace lily grow :)
Draw their sigil on your nails and then paint over them with nail polish that matches their color correspondences.
If you can’t acquire alcohol for your deities (wine, vodka etc) because you’re too young, white vinegar also works. The quality we’re looking for is the purification aspect. White vinegar is natural, antibacterial and never goes bad. You can leave it on your altar until it evaporates if you want.
If you work with a deity involved with self love like Aphrodite, investing a little more time into your skin care and scent can be very rewarding. Nothing super boujie, it can be as simple as getting some nice smelling lotion at the dollar store.
Food and water offerings don’t have to be external, especially if you’re in the broom closet and don’t have an altar. Reserve the first bite of your meal for your deity. Savour its taste while you think about them. Pour yourself a crisp glass of cold water and guzzle it as a devotional act.
Use a washable or dry erase marker to draw sigils on your shower wall for bath rituals. It’ll come right off when you’re done.
Tea bags are just bags of dried herbs. You can use these as offerings or draw sigils on them and burn them for witchcraft. No one is ever suspicious about a little tea. Adding a tea bag to your water offerings also gives them an extra kick.
A couple dollars at the thrift store will take you a long way. I love thrifting items because they’re usually well loved. I especially like thrifting spirituality books that past practitioners have written in. Sometimes my deities communicate with me through the books that are available on any given day. If I was just talking to Leviathan about the power of water and I see a book about Hydromancy, I know that he’s sending me a sign. Like, 90% of the books Lucifer has sent me popped up at the thrift store. Most expensive one was $7.99. (and I tag swapped it for 2.99 😊 thanks, Hermes-
and on this note, literally steal. Not from small local thrift stores, but I mean this with my whole chest, steal from Value Village. If you can sneakily swap a tag and get something for cheaper literally do it. Value Village gets all their inventory for free I literally do not care. Corporate thrift stores don’t deserve rights. I steal from Value Village as a devotional act to Hermes 😊 lmao )
If you don’t have money to spend on really nice paintings and posters of your deities for your altar, start buying books about them. It’s a double win. A book about Greek religion will certainly have multiple beautiful sculptures and paintings of Aphrodite that I can cut out and put on my wall. A book about angels might have a cool painting of Lucifer. Books about Goddesses, ancient religions, anthropology, astrology etc. You get the opportunity to learn, and if it’s a book you don’t particularly care too much for, you can take it apart for imagery. People ask me all the time where I got all of my paintings and pictures from. BOOKS.
Does your deity have a kind of complicated sigil that you love but you also kinda hate redrawing every other day? Sorry Cerberus (Naberius) I love you but that sigil is so complicated babe.
Learn how to block print! It’s very simple. You get a block of linoleum (usually pretty cheap, I think mine were like $5) , some ink (~$10), and a carving tool (varies depending), and make a sigil stamp! All you gotta do is draw your sigil and carve it out nicely one time. You can still bless it and imbue it with your energy, and you can easily put it on prayers, talismans etc.
Chalk is your best friend. Use it to draw sigils on the floor or wall that can easily be wiped away. You can imbue special chalk and use it for casting circles if you don’t like the mess of salt.