Altars For Greek Gods

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?

Spell Bags

What Are Spell Bags?

Spell Bags are usually small bags that contain a range of ingredients linked to the intention of your spell. They can sometimes be known as different names, or have slight cultural differences. For the purpose of this post I will refer to a spell bag, but they may also be called spell sachets, charm bags, and in some cultures, mojo bags (please do your own research). You can also make spell jars, which are pretty much the same, only you use a jar and not a bag.

Bag Colors

Gold - wealth, protection, the God Silver - prosperity, the moon, the Goddess Yellow - healing Orange - travel, communication, messages Green - nature, growth, prosperity, abundance, friendship Blue - peace, calm, wisdom, benevolence Purple - wisdom, wealth, grandeur, mysteries, justice Red - success, romance, strength, protection Pink - love, healing, friendship Black - absorbs negative energy

How to Make a Spell Bag

Think about your intention for making the spell bag… Why are you making it?… What do you want to get from it?

Think about ingredients you want to put into the spell bag and their correspondences… What ingredients will fit into your spell bag?… What specific ingredients are associated with your intentions (for example, what herbs are used for protection)

Collect your bag and ingredients, and focus your intent on each of them. You may also want to write a magickal chant. This can be simply read out, or written down to leave inside the spell bag.

Assemble your spell bag.

Spend time either meditating on your intention, or reciting your magickal chant.

Find a place to put your spell bag. This may simply be on your altar, or in your pocket. Alternatively, there may be a specific place you want to put it (such as by your bed for a sleep spell bag, or in the corner of your room for protection).

Tip-Jar

herbal preparation types

TEA – To consume. Steep herbs, flowers, or roots in hot water. Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in herbal teas provide many short and long-term health benefits. Used for colds, immune system, digestive system, inflammation, anti-aging, stress, anxiety, or skin health, among other treatments.

TINCTURE  – To consume. Herbs that have been stepped in alcohol or vinegar in process of extraction, creating a concentrated liquid form of a herb. Preserve and concentrate the properties of the herb, making them more effective and longer lasting. Fill glass jar with dried herbs. Filling half full will make a stronger (don’t pack down.) Pour boiling water to just dampen all of the herbs. Fill the rest of the jar with vodka and stir. Store the jar in a cool/dry place, shaking daily, for at least three weeks and up to six months. Strain and store in blue or amber dropper bottles (or clean glass jars.) Take 2-3 drops daily.

POULTICE – Topical application. Moistened herbs formed and patted down over area where needed (like herbal band-aid). Place whole or powdered herbs in a bowl and add hot water to stick together. Apply topically and use medical gauze to hold in place. Good for: stings, bites, wounds, broken bones, infection, boils, in-grown issues, acne, or anything that needs to be drawn from the skin.

FOMENTATION – Topical application. Strong steep infusion of herbs (typically stronger than what you would drink). Infuse, strain, and soak cloth in infusion, applying to area where needed. Useful for wrapping a body part or treating large area.

TOPICAL WASH – Topical application. Similar to fomentations, but instead infuse herbs and strain then soak affected body part in the infusion. Direct contact allows herbs to penetrate in unique way. 

HERBAL OIL – Topical application. Herbs are “baked” in base oil such as: olive, sweet almond, apricot, jojoba, avocado, grape seed, or hemp. Can use fresh or dried plant material and sun or Oven as heat source. Heat extracts the oil soluble healing components of the herbs to create the healing oil. Herbal oil often used to make other products such as salves, lotions, or creams but can be used on their own.

SALVE – Topical application. Treatment with the consistency of a balm or ointment. Made by adding beeswax to a herbal oil until desired consistency. Used to sooth skin after a burn, bite, sting, abrasion, or other surface problems. 

Witch Tip

Remember that witchcraft has no defined style. It can look like anything. It can look like elegant altars to gods and goddesses. It can be a messy kitchen full of drying herbs and fresh vegetables. It can be shelves brimming with books and journals. Or witchcraft can be small windowsills with crystals and plants. It can sigils hidden under furniture. It can be pockets overflowing with shells and stones. Witchcraft is personal and beautiful. Don’t let anyone or anything belittle your craft.

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.

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.

This is your reminder to freshen up your wards. And maybe clean your sacred space.

Caution when casting spells! ⚠️

When casting spells, you have to be as specific as possible.

You always have to specify what and how you want this to go.

For example: if you want more money, you don’t have to say “i want money” and thats it. Becouse you might get what you wanted, but your husband died and you got his life insurance.

You can say: “i want more money to come to me, with the less harm to me and to others”

Doing this, you are putting your energy in one spot, causing less or any side effects of your magic.

Be safe and protect others from harm 🌙