Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 53: Symbols in Witchcraft (pt.1)
592 Plays2 years ago
Welcome back Witches! Who's ready to learn about some symbols within the occult and witchcraft? We're bringing you a handful of them in this episode. So get in losers, and lets talk about Symbols in Witchcraft.
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Supercast & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our
Supercast: https://getinloserweredoingwitchcraft.supercast.com
Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/getinwitches
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References
- Caro, Tina. What do You do with a Four Leaf Clover. (2020). Magickal Spot. https://magickalspot.com/using-four-leaf-clover/
- Uhl, Cassie. Magickal Uses and Meanings of Feathers. (2019). Zenned Out. https://zennedout.com/magickal-uses-and-meanings-of-feathers-free-feather-guide/
- What is the Evil Eye?. https://jewishgiftplace.com/pages/what-is-the-evil-eye
- The Hamsa Hand Meaning- The Hand of God/Hand of Fatima. https://jewishgiftplace.com/pages/the-hamsa-hand-meaning-the-hand-of-god-hand-of-fatima
- Wigington, Patti (2018) 10 Summer Solstice Gods and Goddesses. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/deities-of-litha-2562232
- Wigington, Patti (2018) Solar Magic, Myth and Folklore. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/solar-magic-myth-and-folklore-2562504
- Wigington, Patti (2018). Lunar Deities. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/lunar-deities-2562404
- Wigington, Patti (2018). Celebrating the Full Moon. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/celebrating-the-full-moon-2562406
- Berloco, Allie (n.d.). Wishbone meaning and symbolism in jelwery. Fortune and Frame. https://fortuneandframe.com/blogs/news/wishbone-jewelry-meaning-symbolism
- Rhys, Danielle (n.d.(( Wishbone Symbolism. Simbolsag. https://symbolsage.com/wishbone-meaning/
- https://www.themystica.com/dew/
- https://www.myrecipes.com/holidays-and-occasions/thanksgiving-recipes/turkey-wishbone#:~:text=The%20tradition%20of%20breaking%20a,them%20access%20to%20those%20powers.
- https://altnature.com/thegarden/dewdrops.htm
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Witchcraft Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft in the occult but feel lost in where to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser, we're doing witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey. Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we have learned about the craft. So get in witches and let's talk popular symbols in witchcraft.
00:00:40
Speaker
Yeah, so I guess just a disclaimer for this episode, we are both struggling. Stealing some stuff. I don't want to know what this is. I worked out and almost died because the workout was terrible, and I've been wheezy all day, which has made my voice whatever this is.
00:00:56
Speaker
And I have not worked out. I just am lazy and feel like I'm coming down with a cold or maybe it's just allergies. I don't know, but it's gross. Either way, you guys have to deal with it today. Absolutely. So sorry. But please don't. Don't. Don't skip us. Yeah. We love you. We're just going to be a little raspy, a little bit of a mess today, but no big deal.
00:01:26
Speaker
Yeah, but it's a great episode. And it's a lot of informative, cool things that we did. I mean, it's all things that we kind of knew about, but we didn't really know about. Yeah. We didn't know like the depth that these things went. That's how I felt doing this research. I was like, excuse me. Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Let's talk about that a little bit more. So with that being said, what are we talking about today?
00:01:55
Speaker
We're talking about symbols. I want to say symbols in witchcraft, but I feel like they're symbols in the occult that also bleed into witchcraft, essentially. And these are all things that, like I said, most of us probably have heard about or are familiar to some extent with, but we might not know the history or anything really in depth about them. I learned a lot.
00:02:24
Speaker
doing this research. You did. When I was looking at your notes, I was like, oh, shit.
00:02:33
Speaker
I had some hard ones. You did. I wish we would have separated a little bit more, but it's okay. It's okay. I wouldn't have known until I did that research. Same. To me, I was like, oh, this is going to be super easy. And then I was like, oh, wow, there is a lot. Yep. Oh, also with that, as a disclaimer, you guys know, I always say this, we try our best. I'm going to have some pronunciations in mind that I tried very hard.
00:03:03
Speaker
too. Like I looked them up, I listened to them, I tried and tried and tried to get them right and I just know that I'm going to butcher them. So I'm apologizing at the front end of this episode. So if I butcher any of these, my bad, I really did try, but some of these were really hard.
00:03:19
Speaker
Yeah. So I guess let's get started. The first one that I have is the Evil Eye.
The Evil Eye: Symbolism and Protection Methods
00:03:25
Speaker
And I feel like most of us probably have at the very least seen this. Maybe know it as something for protection or wisdom. But the Evil Eye is thought of as a look that is given to a person
00:03:38
Speaker
with the intention of causing harm or suffering or some form of bad luck on the person that's like the focus of the look. The belief is that the malicious look is powerful enough to bring about actual disaster for the person on the receiving end.
00:03:53
Speaker
Its appearance varies, with the most popular being a circular shape in the colors of blue, black, and white to portray an eye. Other versions have a more almond-shaped eye, and more modern versions have extended to jewelry pieces with varying gems and metals that don't always follow the original color pattern. Belief in the Evil Eye dates back nearly 3,000 years
00:04:17
Speaker
and its origins can be traced to ancient Greece and Rome. It's considered one of the strongest symbolic images in the world. It's believed to have been the largest threat to anyone who had been praised too much or received admiration beyond what others thought they truly deserved, meaning that it often just stemmed from jealousy.
00:04:35
Speaker
The negative effects of the evil eye are bad luck, physical harm, and even mental illness. And any disease that didn't have an immediate obvious cause was often thought to have been caused by the evil eye. It was believed that when a person felt ill without cause that the gods and the goddesses were punishing them for becoming too proud for their achievements and were destroying them with the power of the evil eye to restore them to the level of mere mortals.
00:05:02
Speaker
Looking at the evil eye through cultures, religions, and witchcraft, you can see that this symbol ties to almost every country in the world, as well as major religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, and even Christianity. Even though it has ties to a large group of varying religions and cultures, they all equate it to the same meaning, and it's one of the very few things that actually does this.
00:05:29
Speaker
In Sahih Muslim Book 26, the Prophet Muhammad warns about the dangers of the evil eye and says that one must take a bath in order to counteract the effects of the evil eye's powers. In ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and Islamic cultures,
00:05:46
Speaker
It's believed that excessive praise will bring about the ill effects of the evil eye, so instead of praising a child, you would say God has willed the child good luck to keep from endangering the child with the harmful evil eye. Ashkenazi Jews use the phrase
00:06:03
Speaker
Kian Inora, which means no evil eye as a way to protect themselves and others. In Hinduism, the eye is thought to be the most powerful point of the body that gives energy, and since the eye holds a large amount of power, they fear that even an admirable eye could bring ill-love
00:06:22
Speaker
and they'll even do things to counteract admirable looks. They also believe that jealousy is at the root of the power of the evil eye, and they teach that big life changes like puberty, marriage, or even childbirth is when someone is at their most vulnerable to the threats of the evil eye. In Hindu beliefs, even animals are capable of giving the evil eye, and while both genders are capable of casting the evil eye, women are the most common source.
00:06:49
Speaker
In South India, women will often paint their eyelids black to protect themselves from the evil eye and prevent themselves from giving someone else the evil eye. In Brazil, they hold a superstition known as the fat eye, and it's their equivalent to the evil eye. Unlike other beliefs, sincere compliments would not warrant threat of the evil eye, but compliments that are insincere would put the receiver at stake.
00:07:16
Speaker
in Europe, the evil eye was rooted in the idea of jealousy. And the largest source of the threat was believed to be witches, especially if they had what they called a quote unquote, rare eyes. And looking this up, all I could find was like,
00:07:31
Speaker
if your eyes were red so I'm guessing if you were albino or if your eyes were this was this is another like quote unquote squinted because I don't know what they meant by that and then even having a unibrow would cast you as being a witch and somebody who was powerful at giving the evil eye.
00:07:51
Speaker
And speaking of witchcraft, the evil eye works through color magic using blue, black, and white to create a high vibrational symbol that reflects the negative vibrations of the evil eye. While this symbol isn't used solely in witchcraft, it is a symbol that can be seen throughout the occult and witchcraft communities.
00:08:09
Speaker
In witchcraft, the symbol is also believed to bring its wearer knowledge. So the way that you would protect against the evil eye, the most commonly known form of protection is just simply wearing an evil eye as an amulet to provide protections against evil forces.
00:08:28
Speaker
In Greece, in addition to wearing the amulet, one would also carry incense and a cross, but I couldn't find anything that like talked about what kind of incense, like I don't know if it was just any incense or if there was a specific kind. New mothers should keep objects of protection under their pillows or on their head to include red, black, or white strings, a nail,
00:08:50
Speaker
Gunpowder, bread, salt, garlic, a ring, indigo blue, or a pair of silver buckles. Gunpowder would symbolize the ability to fight back. Males symbolize strength. Indigo holds power through the blue coloring.
00:09:07
Speaker
and salt is a symbol of preservation and strength. European Christians would make the sign of the cross with their hands while also pointing the index finger and pinky finger toward the source of the evil eye to deflect it. And this one, the explanation of it was like so weird to me. Like I tried putting my hands in the way that it described it, like crossing, making the sign of the cross, which you would do with your index fingers, right? But they also like,
00:09:36
Speaker
make the sign of the cross, point their index fingers and their pinky fingers at the person giving the evil eye. So was it like a sideways W? I don't know. I was very confused reading that one. I was like, um, I don't understand.
00:09:53
Speaker
In Bangladesh, black dots are drawn on children's foreheads to protect them, and pretty young women draw a dot and coal behind the ears. And I'm going to say that's a quote unquote, because what constitutes it being a pretty young woman? Wouldn't it just be like any young woman would put a dot behind her ears to deflect the evil eye?
00:10:14
Speaker
some remedies if your protective measures didn't work would be burning the fur of a bear is thought to cure the curse of the evil eye, which where are we getting bear fur? Right. And that seems pretty dangerous.
00:10:31
Speaker
Are you going out? Let me just go out and skin this bear real fast. Also, doesn't the evil eye give you bad luck? If you get the evil eye, then you would have bad luck, so I wouldn't risk it trying to get some bear bird. That doesn't seem worth it.
00:10:48
Speaker
No. In Romani culture, the afflicted would have their forehead massaged to get rid of the ill effects. And this is the funniest one by far. In Armenia, it is thought that a pinch on the afflicted's butt would remedy the curse.
00:11:03
Speaker
So they're just going around pinching each other's butts to get rid of the evil eye. It's like, oh, I think I got the evil eye. Will you go ahead and pinch me, please? Can you pinch my butt, please? Harder. That is the evil eye in a nutshell. That is interesting. I have an evil eye necklace bracelet that my friend gave me. And so she got this in, I guess, in her culture. She's Mexican.
00:11:31
Speaker
And for her culture, she says that their belief is you are gifted like in some sort of amulet or something to wear, and then you keep it on until it breaks. And then once it breaks, that's when you know that the evil eye has absorbed all of the negative energy that's around you and there's nothing left for it to absorb.
00:11:53
Speaker
But obviously, I don't know because I never grew up with that stuff or just understanding or knowing anything about the evil eye. But I wear it every day. I don't take it off just because if it absorbs any negative energy around me, I am totally fine with that. And plus, it's like a friendship bracelet, kind of. Yeah. I have heard that with the hematite rings too.
00:12:19
Speaker
that you wear them and they absorb all the negativity thrown your way. And then when they break, it means they've absorbed all the negative energy around you. And then you're supposed to bury them or something. Oh, yeah. That's interesting. I'm not sure. I should ask her what I should do when this breaks. So I've had this one on since, I want to say September. And we're recording this in February. So I mean, that's kind of a long time. It hasn't broke yet. So hopefully that means it's like,
00:12:47
Speaker
absorbing all the things and there's just not that much negative energy around me. She said her sister wore one one time and like that same day it broke and so I'm just like Jesus that's a lot of negative energy then that it absorbed but um yeah so I'm I need to ask her like when it does break like what do I do with it? Is it something where I'm supposed to bury it? Do I like do something with it? Yeah but yeah so I just have to figure that out.
00:13:14
Speaker
But anyways, so moving on to the next symbol that we're going to talk about, it is going to be the sun.
Sun and Moon Symbolism in Witchcraft
00:13:22
Speaker
And this is something that we've mentioned many times on this podcast just in relation to
00:13:28
Speaker
I mean, everything from cleansing to just worshiping it. Like it, there's a lot to be said about the sun and it is a very important symbol in witchcraft and just the occult and metaphysical in general. It's something that we take for granted. And according to Patty Wiggington, it's a source of magic, myth, and legend. And it has been that way for thousands of years. So a little bit about the lore and the myths surrounding the sun.
00:13:59
Speaker
In many cultures, they worship the sun and this can be seen in almost every ancient civilization in the world. Cultures that were agricultural, which is basically all of them,
00:14:14
Speaker
dependent on the sun for life and sustenance. And there's a lot of folklore tied to the sun. So in particular, babies born at sunrise are considered special and blessed with a long and prosperous life. And then many indigenous and native tribes celebrate the sun and do something called the Sundance as a way to honor the sun as a manifestation of the great spirit. And it's also
00:14:40
Speaker
The Sundance is also a way to bring visions to the dancers that were performing the Sundance. And then there's something known in Wiccan traditions called DSL. I could be saying that wrong and I apologize if I am.
00:14:55
Speaker
I'm not Wiccan so I don't know how to say this word, but this is known as movement in the direction of the sun and it's connected with positive and gainful magic and it's clockwise. And then there's also like a direction that moves against that and I didn't remember
00:15:11
Speaker
what it was called and I didn't put it in my notes. So I apologize for that, but that one is moving counterclockwise and it's for negative and painful magic. And then in Appalachia, there's a legend that if you sweep your floors after the sunsets, you will live a life of poverty, which sucks for me because I also do a lot of cleaning
00:15:35
Speaker
at night when my kids are in bed. So I guess I won't be doing that anymore. I mean, I don't know. I guess it's like you can create your own reality with your beliefs, right? So I mean, if you're believing that, then maybe that does hold some power for you. But I hate that. I'm not rich. I mean, it's so nice to wake up to like clean floors. Exactly.
00:16:01
Speaker
And here's the thing too, it's just like, I mean, we don't wear shoes or anything in our house, but at like the same time, it's just, it's nice to finish the day with and making sure that any dirt or anything that would have been brought into your house is swept away and clean. To just walk downstairs and everything be clean, your floors are clean, everything's tidy.
00:16:26
Speaker
nah yeah i don't know i can't i can't get behind that one i was gonna say i still feel like i'm going to do that at night yeah i have to i mean there's really like unless i were to wake up at like four o'clock in the morning there i don't have time to do it in the morning well and like what about like with the robot vacuums like we have those and i schedule them usually to do it at night like later in the night so i'll have it do it like at 11 o'clock at night once we've gotten in bed it'll run
00:16:55
Speaker
while we're reading in bed or doing whatever. I want to wake up to a nice clean floor. Exactly. I don't want to see dog care making answers. Thank you. Thanks. Appreciate it. Thank you. There's also a lot of legends about the sun tied to weather itself. One in particular that I grew up hearing, if the sun shines while it's raining, it will rain again at the same time the next day.
00:17:24
Speaker
And then I've also heard like a, there's another one about like if, pertaining to sailors, like if the sun is out while it's raining, I think it's like a bad omen or something to sailors. I can't remember that one. They have a lot for the skies. It's like, there's one that's centered around like red skies, you know, like the sunset and the sunrise. I don't know where it is, but I know I've heard it before. They have a lot that are tied to like the sun and weather.
00:17:52
Speaker
Yes. And then just something that going back to the agricultural societies and civilizations, our ancestors worked a lot with the sun. And we see this in present time with the stone circles and the megaliths and the pyramids. They were all built to align with the sun's position during summer and winter solstices, as well as the autumn and spring equinoxes. So
00:18:20
Speaker
Even just that, even if you don't believe or buy into any of the rest of the stuff, how important the sun was to our ancestors. I mean, you could see why everything revolved around the sun because the sun gave life. So there are many ways that you can use the sun in your craft. So one of the ways is by holding a sun ritual during midsummer.
00:18:41
Speaker
This is a perfect time of year to celebrate the power of the sun, its warmth, and even just giving thanks for the life that the sun brings or spending time outdoors with family and friends and giving thanks for the opportunity to be able to spend that time outdoors with the sun. I apologize in advance. There are jets in the background. You thought you were leaving the jets behind and now they're still there. Now they're still here.
00:19:09
Speaker
and they are allowed. Another way that you can use a sun in your craft is by charging your ritual tools with them. Obviously, and this is something we've mentioned before, before you charge anything in your windowsill, make sure it's something that is not going to be damaged by the sun. Make sure that it's something safe that isn't going to become toxic when you put out in the sun. I don't think there's very many things that would be toxic in the sun,
00:19:33
Speaker
but just know and do your research on what you're putting out there and making sure you don't ruin anything. And then also during litha and yule, hanging solar symbols around your home. And this is something that we've talked about before. I remember specifically in the yule episode, I think Tiffany, you mentioned that, but during yule, this is the time when the sun is returning to earth. And then
00:19:57
Speaker
during Litha, that's when the sun is at its highest and most powerful point in the sky. So hanging solar symbols around your house during these times of years, even though it seems kind of weird to hang it up around Yule, it's still a way to connect back with the sun and bringing that energy back into your home.
00:20:15
Speaker
doing it for both is celebrating the sun's journey, essentially. So when you hang up these symbols during Yule, you're celebrating the sun as it returns back to the earth and then the nights become longer and it's more dark. And then again, now we're getting
00:20:33
Speaker
a more powerful point of the sun, and the daylight hours are becoming longer. So you're just celebrating it coming back and spending more time with us. Absolutely, yes. Always, too, you can use flowers to symbolize the sun. You can use anything to symbolize the sun, anything that's yellow.
00:20:50
Speaker
But flowers are a great way because it's something that is growing outside in nature that receives its life-giving force from the sun itself. So sunflowers, dandelions, chamomile, calendula, any of those flowers are great to use during this time of year to symbolize the sun, or just any time of year. I mean, because dandelions aren't even ... I mean, I guess they're growing where I'm at right now, but they're not growing where you guys are.
00:21:17
Speaker
We haven't gotten them just yet, but everything's just now kind of starting to come around. The only thing that we have in abundance right now is Revitz. They've already come out. They're like in full force. Anthony on Saturday.
00:21:31
Speaker
We took Nyx down to Mardi Gras with us, and when we got home, he didn't realize that I took her leash off her in the car, which I always do. But he opened the back door, and she saw a rabbit across the street, three houses down, and just bolted. Oh, no. And he had to chase her all the way down the street. Our neighbor was laughing at him, because he was like, Nyx, god damn it. He looked down the street.
00:21:57
Speaker
Oh, my little hunting dog saw herself a rabbit. Yeah, and then just couldn't help herself. She was gone. She was like, you blinked and she was already like four houses down. I was like, how did this even happen?
00:22:13
Speaker
But no dandelions yet, no. No dandelions, yeah. We have them here, but they'll be coming your way eventually. I was going to say, you're also on a tropical island where it's nice and warm. It's actually pretty chilly. It's a little chilly. Yeah. But what's chilly here is not chilly where you guys are at. It's like, oh yeah, 60 degrees. That's not bad at all. And I'm like, it's cold outside.
00:22:36
Speaker
Yeah, we hit 64 today and we were all outside in like t-shirts. We were like, man, it's a beautiful day. Oh yeah. It is 63 degrees today and Avery went to school in a sweatsuit.
00:22:48
Speaker
a sweatsuit. She's like, Mom, it's freezing. It's freezing outside. And then lastly, another way that you can bring the sun into your magical craft is by getting to know any of the sun deities. And there are a ton. This is just a very small, small subset of the sun sun deities. Jesus Christ, it's hard to say that. Sun deities.
00:23:15
Speaker
So for Egypt that would be Aten and ancient Greek pantheons that would be Apollo or Hestia. For the Celtic pantheons that would be Lou and we have an entire episode where we talked about Lou
00:23:32
Speaker
in depth and like all the lore surrounding him. So I can't remember that episode number off the top of my head, but it's back whenever we discussed like Luna Sal and all that stuff. So go find it and listen to Lou if you haven't. And then the Aztec god of Witzilopchi. And that is probably a terrible pronunciation of this word. But let me tell you right now, I YouTubed it and I listened so many times. It was super fast. I couldn't quite figure out how exactly how to say it.
00:24:01
Speaker
But there is an Aztec sun deity. And they never, like they never slow the pronunciations down. So you can really get it like syllable by syllable to be able to say it like fluidly. No, yeah. It's a pain in the ass. But it's something kind of like whipsalopgy.
00:24:20
Speaker
So FYI. And then also there is the Celtic Roman god Sulis Minerva and the Roman god Juno. Those are all great sun deities to explore and research and maybe even put them on your altar, draw them and put that on your altar or something to bring the sun into your work.
00:24:43
Speaker
If you're nice and artsy, like Sam, because my drawings would be stick figures. If you're a stick figure too, just be like, put the sun in. Like the circle with the lines. Yeah. Exactly. There you go. And then draw a person standing below it or like holding the sun. There you go. Yeah, with the flower. With the flower.
00:25:03
Speaker
My second one is the hamsa, and it's used for protection. And I did this one back to back with the evil eye because it's used to help protect you from the evil eye. The hamsa hand is known by many names, some of which are Hamish, Hamish Hand, Kamsa, and Chamsa. And it is a hand-shaped symbol, usually with the evil eye on the palm. The most popular version of the hamsa is a hand that is symmetrical,
00:25:33
Speaker
boasting two thumbs, one on each side of the hand, with three fingers in between, but others will be shaped like an actual hand, without the symmetry and the usual pinky in the place of the second thumb. They often boast intricate designs, and like I said, they'll reflect the evil eye on the palm. They can be worn with the hand pointing either up or down too, it doesn't matter, it won't change their purpose.
00:25:58
Speaker
This symbol is another that is used to ward off the evil eye, and in all faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs, it's a protective sign that brings the owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune.
00:26:10
Speaker
The Hamza hand has always been associated with a female entity, and it's considered a universal symbol for protection. When looking at cultures, religions, and witchcraft, the Hamza hand has been a symbol for Islamic and Jewish cultures for centuries, but archaeological digs within the Middle East have also provided evidence that this symbol actually predates Islam and Judaism religions, originating with
00:26:37
Speaker
And I struggled with this one because, again, like you were saying, they say these so fast when you're trying to get the pronunciations on YouTube. I think it's Phoenicians. They used Hamsa as a protective symbol for an ancient Middle Eastern goddess.
00:26:59
Speaker
The word hamseh or hamish means five, and it correlates to the five fingers on the hand, but the five also holds additional meaning in both Jewish and Islamic traditions. In Judaism, it represents the five books of the Torah and the fifth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which represents one of God's holy names. It's also a reminder to the wearer that they are to use their five senses to praise God.
00:27:27
Speaker
In Islam, it symbolizes the five pillars of Islam for the Sunnis and the five people of the cloak for the Shiites. In Jewish culture, it's referred to as the Hand of God or the Hand of Miriam, believed to be named for the biblical Moses and Aaron's sister. In the Islamic faith, the Hamza hand is known as the Hand of Fatima, who was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
00:27:52
Speaker
And for those that use the hamsa in witchcraft, it's a symbol of protection and it's used to ward off evil.
00:28:00
Speaker
So the next one that I want to talk about is the moon. And this is probably one of the most classic symbols of witchcraft. And I mean, there's a lot of mystery and magic tied to the moon just in itself. But the moon is so powerful and it affects everything. So I mean, just to simply put it, the moon is tied to the ebbs and flows of the tides on Earth and the changing cycle of a woman's body.
00:28:24
Speaker
And, you know, there's that lore that, you know, during a full moon, people are crazy and during a full moon, more women give birth. I mean, there's just a lot of things tied to the moon itself. And as the moon changes, so does the magic that's associated with it. We've talked extensively about the moon phases and their correspondences on this podcast and shameless plug. Every single month we send out the upcoming moon phases in our newsletters. So if you aren't already subscribed at our Spellman's level,
00:28:54
Speaker
you should be because I think, and I might be biased, but I think our newsletters are pretty amazing. And it's not just because I write them.
00:29:06
Speaker
aren't subscribed and you're not getting the newsletter, Samantha is hilarious. She writes the funniest newsletters that are so informative. Only sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I'm not super funny, but then other times I'm like, this was hilarious. But for those of you who don't remember from previous episodes or just
00:29:26
Speaker
want a little refresher about the moon cycles. The full moon is tied to intuition, wisdom, and healing magic. The waning moon is tied to removing negative energy or toxic relationships, bad habits, reducing debt or illness, any of those things. The noon moon is all for cleansing and purification, inner harmony and peace. And the waxing moon brings abundance, love, money, and new opportunities into your life.
00:29:51
Speaker
There are many, many ways to incorporate the moon into your work, and this list that I'm going to give is not inclusive. There's so many other ways that you can work with the moon. But you can do a full moon ritual depending on the type of moon. Each full moon has a name, so finding out the names, the newsletter, I put that all in the newsletter every now and then. I'm just kidding. But for real, I do. Tailoring your spells to each one would be a great way to connect with each full moon.
00:30:20
Speaker
And along with a full moon, you can do something called an esbat. And it's outside of the greater Sabbaths. Many Wiccans and Pagans celebrate something known as an esbat. And it's traditionally held during a full moon. And this is all a time to do spellwork and magic and communicate with the divine. And it's something you might be more familiar with it if you have any ties to Wicca or if you are a practicing Wiccan. But you don't have to be Wiccan or work in a group to perform
00:30:49
Speaker
participate in an SBAT, you can do one even if you're working solitary. Also, charging your magical tools with the power of the moon. Again, along with the sun, when I gave that little disclaimer, make sure that anything that you're using, any tools that you're using that you're wanting to charge with the moon, make sure it's something that it's safe to do so. So don't put anything on your windowsill thinking, oh, I'm going to wake up the next morning and remove it from my windowsill before the sun comes out because I guarantee you something's going to happen.
00:31:18
Speaker
You're going to wake up late. You're going to forget the tools that you put on your windowsill, and then they're going to get fucked up by the sun, especially if they're not tools that should be charged by the sun, if that makes sense, or crystals or whatnot. So just make sure that you're cognizant of that. Maybe put a reminder on your phone, an alarm, or something like that if you do. Use the moon to charge any of your tools. You can make moon water. And again, this is something that we've talked about extensively on the podcast.
00:31:48
Speaker
But you can drink the moon water. You can use it to water your plants. You can use it in rituals. You can put it as an offering on your altar. There's so many different things you can do with moon water. This jet is incredibly loud. I know. It's like how long is he going to live there? I know. It's like he's just hovering above my house right now. And I'm just like... He's driving his engine right above you. I just don't understand how one jet can stay so long.
00:32:18
Speaker
Right over my house. Go away. Yeah. I'm also making a moon garden. So this is something that I am super interested in and I need to learn more about, but this is all about cultivating plants that bloom at night. And I don't have a list of them. I'm sure you could easily Google and find the list of plants that bloom at night. But this sounds like an amazing thing to do.
00:32:43
Speaker
My grandparents have... I don't know if it's their actual name. My grandma just says stuff sometimes. But she has these bushes in her yard that she calls four o'clock. And around four o'clock every day, the flowers will open up. And then when the sun comes out in the morning, they close back up. That's really cute. Yeah, they're really cute. She'll sit outside on her little patio at like four o'clock in the evening and sit by the little flowers as they open.
00:33:09
Speaker
Oh, I love that. Yeah. I want a moon garden. I might have to see what is indigenous here on this island that I can plant and have my little moon garden. See if there's anything like that here. So precious. It would be.
00:33:26
Speaker
And then also, lastly, again, with the gods, there are a ton of gods and goddesses associated with the moon and the lunar cycles. Again, these are going to be names that I am shit at pronouncing, so just bear with me. The first one is an Inuit lunar god, and I found two different pronunciations for this god. So I don't know which one's correct, but it could either be Alagak or Alinatata.
00:33:53
Speaker
So yeah, it doesn't even, it looks like it would be pronounced Alagak, but online it also says
00:34:00
Speaker
Alinotata, so I don't know. And then for the Greek pantheon, there's Artemis. For the Celtic pantheon, that would be Caridwen in China. It's called Chanu. And this is also, I believe, one of the words I use for the Lunar New Year. So I think it's kind of interchangeable, or at least it seemed that way when I was researching it. And then lastly, another Aztec god. And I don't know why I
00:34:28
Speaker
torture myself with putting these in this episode because I have no clue what I'm doing, but I want it to be as inclusive as possible, but koiok saokui. Koiok saokui. I believe that might be how you say it.
00:34:44
Speaker
I'm proud of you. I'm an Aztec lunar god. Thank you. Yeah, I turned my heart in. There's a lot of letters in that, and they're in weird places. Yes. And how many vowels is there? One, two, three, four, five, six, six vowels. And if you count the Y, seven. Six vowels, there's an X in the middle, a random H. It's so weird. But yeah. So that is about the moon.
00:35:14
Speaker
Next, I have the four-leaf clover, which pretty much probably everyone knows about that. These little guys symbolize luck. Four-leaf clovers, like I said, as I'm sure everyone listening knows, is a clover containing four leaves. They're rare and usually only boast three leaves, and due to their rarity, they've morphed into something magical and mystical that are believed to bring the finder good luck. Four-leaf clovers can be traced back to juridic times,
00:35:41
Speaker
with the belief that they brought luck and kept away evil spirits. It is also believed that Eve took
Symbols of Luck: Four-Leaf Clover and Wishbones
00:35:47
Speaker
a four-leaf clover from the Garden of Eden to bring her luck after being exiled. If found, it's said that you should use a four-leaf clover as an amulet.
00:35:56
Speaker
The suggestion is that you press them into a book or dry them out and put them in a container or a plastic sleeve and carry them with you to maximize their positive, lucky energy. And the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, which we talked about in which episode.
00:36:13
Speaker
our Cornwall and- Yes, like- Yes, briefly, like we briefly mentioned it in there, but they also have a four leaf clover encased in a green heart pendant wrapped in a copper mount that was said to be a lucky charm created and worn by a witch in the early 20th century. In terms of the four leaves, it's believed that the first leaf represents home, the second represents faith, the third represents love, and the fourth represents luck.
00:36:41
Speaker
In terms of cultural ties, in Ireland, the clover is the national symbol and it's referred to as a shamrock.
00:36:49
Speaker
Though I also read that a shamrock will only have three leaves, but if it has a fourth leaf, then it's a clover. St. Patrick used the clover in the fifth century as a way to represent the trinity, but it was believed that if a clover had a fourth leaf, that the fourth leaf was either man and humanity or the grace of God. In Sardinia, it is said that those who find a four-leaf clover could solve any problem, especially those of economic nature.
00:37:18
Speaker
If it's found before the sunrise on the morning of the Feast of St. John, it should be prepared as an amulet and worn around the neck to keep away fears. And another belief is that upon finding the four-leaf clover, the finder must eat one leaf, hide another in a hole on the external wall of their house,
00:37:37
Speaker
and keep the last two leaves inside their house to bring luck for themselves and their family. Sardinians also believe that they can easily find four-leaf clovers through the observation of goats on Easter morning. The belief states that if before the sunrise, a young goat who has never birthed kids kneels to graze, they have found a four-leaf clover to graze on, which is hilarious. I like that it also points out that the goat has to have never birthed kids.
00:38:06
Speaker
Yeah. So it's like, if you see a mama goat out there, do you just not follow her? Yeah. You're like, oh. Like she's lost her ability. You can't smell anymore. And then also like, if you see it like kneeling, you just have to like sprint over there really fast to grab it.
00:38:28
Speaker
pull it out of its mouth. It reminds me of, do you remember that commercial where it's like that old man with the fishing pole and he has like a dollar at the end of it and he's like, oh, it got to be faster than that. That's what it reminds me of. He's shaking it from that poor goat. He's like, oh, that was a nice snack.
00:38:47
Speaker
Right. Not today, Godi Ban. Oh my gosh. And then with four-leaf clovers, you can use them in witchcraft in like many different ways, but clovers have been used as a symbol of fertility, abundance, stability, fruitfulness, respect, love, health, and luck.
00:39:06
Speaker
Besides wearing them for good luck, it's believed that placing a four-leaf clover under your pillow at night will help keep nightmares away and make your sleep more peaceful and your dreams happy. You can also use a four-leaf clover in spellworks surrounding making deals, success, and even luck in passing an exam. And if you find a four-leaf clover on a Saturday or a Sunday, you should press it into a positive, happy book that's dear to you for one week.
00:39:35
Speaker
After that week, cover the four leaf clover in honey and poppy seeds and carry it in your purse or wallet. And doing so will help you achieve a goal that you've set. Once the goal is reached, you release the clover back to nature. I know we've already talked about this, but like maybe put the four leaf clover in something.
00:39:56
Speaker
Yeah, a container, something. Oh, parchment paper. Yeah, something because I hear this sticky, seedy clover in my book just dripping with honey as it goes. It's like that old piece of candy in your grandma's purse that fell out of its wrapper and it's been there for six months. Yeah, basically.
00:40:18
Speaker
You're just going to find these sticky clovers everywhere. Oh, grandma seeds. She's at it again. Who let her have honey this time? Thought we took that away from you. That's what is going to be my grandchildren. That's going to be my life. So next, something that
00:40:47
Speaker
I feel like a lot of people know about, again, it's something that, like you mentioned, it's not just magical, but it is magical, but wishbones. There's a lot of legends and lore surrounding wishbones. And supposedly, they came from the Etruscans, which were a civilization from ancient Italy. And so the legend is that Etruscans used bird bones and divination, and they would use it to make predictions about what is to come.
00:41:15
Speaker
they believe that birds possess divine powers. So because of this, the Romans saw this and they, of course, can't have anything without... I mean, that's just the way the world works, right? Like everything is borrowed. So the Romans took this ancient lore from the Etruscans and adopted it to what it is today, hence pulling on the wishbone until it breaks. So the person holding the largest side would make a wish and their wish would come true.
00:41:41
Speaker
And this practice spread to England in the 16th century where the act was called a merry thought. And then of course it spread to the United States. And then it was tied back to like the first Thanksgiving feast, which we're not going to talk about because there's nothing to be thankful for.
00:41:58
Speaker
Yeah. But the wishbone symbolizes luck, hope, and looking towards the future. It's all about being in control of your own luck and a new chapter or beginning in your life. Obviously, it goes back to that whole pulling the wishbone apart and putting your full force into it. You're in control. If you have that full force and you're stronger than the other person, guess what? You're going to get the luck.
00:42:21
Speaker
because you have the biggest piece now. If you have wishbone jewelry, there's lore there that states that you should make a wish whenever you put the jewelry on. And I thought that was really cute because they actually do have a necklace with a wishbone on it. And I didn't know that. And so I will just be like wearing it. And maybe you got to make a lot of wishes. Exactly. A lot of wishes. And this is something too. So we talked about on a previous episode, like in season one,
00:42:47
Speaker
a long ass time ago about how it was in our cleansing, charging and banishing episode about how you can charge your jewelry and put manifestations and intentions into it. This would be a great piece of jewelry to do that in because it already symbolizes so many things. Cute. I also think it's funny that
00:43:10
Speaker
Like it's not inherently magical, but there's so many like magical ties to it. And you see like, this is such a common thing. Anytime there's like a Turkey cooked for peace, like in a regular home, people that don't like practice witchcraft or like aren't pagan or Wiccan or whatever. Like you see the whole like breaking the wishbone thing happen time and time again. But if you tell them like, Oh, did you know they'd be like, ew, gross.
00:43:39
Speaker
Right. Yeah. I don't believe that. I don't believe that. That's Satan's work. And it's like, well, you do it though. So what does that mean? I'm just kidding. You're a Satan. No, I'm kidding.
Feathers and Dewdrops: Truth and Alchemical Practices
00:43:56
Speaker
So my last one is feathers, which if you're not new to the podcast and you've listened to all the episodes, you'll know that I have a feather infestation right now.
00:44:07
Speaker
that I have no clue where they're coming from. But feathers are supposed to symbolize truth and I feel like I wouldn't be doing Sam and I justice if I didn't give this disclaimer. So I'm going to give this disclaimer so that none of you can listen and then go and take these feathers that you shouldn't have and then come back and be like, well, they said it was okay because it's not. So this is the disclaimer for you.
00:44:33
Speaker
In the United States, the possession of feathers and other parts of native North American migratory birds without a permit is prohibited by the MGTB. This act protects wild birds by preventing their killing by collectors and the commercial trade in their feathers and extends to all feathers regardless of how they're obtained.
00:44:57
Speaker
There's no exemption for molted feathers or for those taken from the road or for a window-killed bird. However, exceptions do exist for the feathers of legally hunted waterfowl or other migratory game birds and for the use of feathers by Native Americans. Now, this isn't all birds, but to be responsible, I'm just asking you to please check through the MPTA's website before removing any feathers from their environment and please don't pluck
00:45:27
Speaker
feathers from a live bird. So I will make sure that the link to the MBTA's identification site is in our show notes if you do want to use it. But that is just me covering our butts.
00:45:39
Speaker
When you look at the history, culture, and religion surrounding the use of feathers, as early as the second century BCE, we have a record of the use of feathers as a symbolic tool within written history, though the belief is that they have been viewed as sacred for way longer than the documentation provides. Germanic cultures were recorded as wearing feathers in their helmets,
00:46:04
Speaker
and they would pass them down through their family as a symbol of honor. Feathers have been used as a magical and spiritual tool across many cultures worldwide, dating back tens of thousands of years. Celtic history references the use of feathered cloaks as a means to communicate with the gods and goddesses. In indigenous cultures, feathers hold deep meaning and are used in almost every facet
00:46:30
Speaker
from smudging to dream catchers and even in their clothing and on weapons and tools. In shamanic practices, feathers have been used as a tool to cleanse the aura and as a means to bring in the element of air. And in terms of witchcraft, feathers have been used throughout history in witchcraft as a tool to cleanse, to protect, and connect to the spirit realm. They're also often used on an altar
00:46:55
Speaker
or in practice to symbolize the element of air. Feathers can represent seeing things from a higher perspective, honor and bravery, freedom and transcendence, connection, and even messages from the gods, goddesses, spirit guides, and loved ones that have passed. These messages can vary depending in their color. So a white feather would be divine timing, guidance, and hope. Gray would be middle path, neutrality, and peace.
00:47:24
Speaker
Brown would be grounding, stability, and honesty. Black would be protection, omens, and loss. Yellow is confidence, action, and clarity. Orange is success, energy, and luck. Red is strength, passion, and courage. Green is community, abundance, and growth. And blue is communication, happiness, and awareness.
00:47:48
Speaker
The meanings can also vary depending on the bird. So while this list is way too long to list out here, like we would be here forever if I tried to name every bird and their color of feather and what they mean. But here's just a few examples. So bluebirds are tied to awakening, cardinals to vitality, crows to crossroads, doves to grief, owls to wisdom, seagulls to action and pigeons to psychic communication.
00:48:18
Speaker
And then I came across this article by Cassie Ewell of zendow.com, and she says that when you come across a feather to decipher the message, you should recognize what you were thinking the moment before you saw the feather.
00:48:33
Speaker
Look to your intuition to guide you to the feather's meaning. Notice the timing of the feather message like did it come during an important time of day or a time of the year like maybe on a day or time that a loved one had passed or something significant occurred. Think about the location of the feather and if it holds any meaning to you and of course to check the corresponding color and the bird that the feather came from. Cassie also states that feathers are a reminder that spirit guides or loved ones pass
00:49:03
Speaker
are nearby and they will often offer you guidance. They are a way to keep your relationship with your guide and your loved ones going. And how about that?
00:49:12
Speaker
How about that black feather course? Right. I know. I don't like that at all. I don't like that at all. Hopefully though, it just means like it doesn't mean like the bad omen. Everything else behind that can just, it doesn't mean any of that. It doesn't mean omens, it doesn't mean loss. And I don't know if it came from a crow and if it came from a crow, I guess it means the crossroad. Yeah. So lastly, we have the dewdrop.
00:49:41
Speaker
And this, I will say, it was really hard to find information on this, but this relates back a lot to alchemy. And I know we talked about this before, but it relates back to, so to say herbology, and that is Harry Potter. And I've lost my mind. I like it better.
00:50:00
Speaker
And it relates back to herbalism as well. Dewdrops have been important in the Colton witchcraft practices for centuries, and it's considered a staple of the philosopher's stone. And it's said to come from a celestial source, indirect from plants and animals. And in 1779, so this shit is like, I mean, it's supposed to show you how like ancient this shit is. In 1779, it isn't even that long ago, but it stretches back way further than that, I promise. But I could be pronouncing this wrong.
00:50:30
Speaker
I don't know if I'm saying that wrong. I'm sure I'm not, but there's two S's and a CH in there. It said it was both celestial and terrestrial, both fluid and stable. So if that wasn't confusing enough.
00:50:47
Speaker
It's perceived as a tangible watery aggregate of prima materia from where all matter comes from. And in alchemy specifically, it's one of the chief sources of the mysterious central nighter or the subtle form of the primal fire of nature. So traditionally during the astrological signs of
00:51:10
Speaker
Aries and Taurus, so from March 21st through May 21st, dew was gathered by alchemists by dragging sheets along the grass and also by placing metal bowls out overnight to collect condensation or just shaking out the leaves of the plant lady's mantle. And Tiffany, you were telling me before about lady's mantle and specifically with dew drops and I can't remember what you said. Yeah. So with
00:51:40
Speaker
ladies mantle and dew drops basically women would go out in the morning to collect the dew drops from ladies mantle and they would use this on their face and it kept them from aging so it kept them looking youthful longer. That is so cute. I need some ladies mantle so I can do that.
00:52:03
Speaker
It was also used as a solvent and many alchemical processes. I just, I love like the magic behind it because it's like, they could have just used water as a solvent, but no, they collected dew, like they went out and collected dew because of the beliefs that they had about dew. Just plants in general, like outdoor plants, especially if you garden,
00:52:22
Speaker
The dew on the plants in the morning, it's believed that a lot of the essentials from the plants, like the oils and not necessarily the nutrients, but like the essential oils of the plants will come out in the dew drops. So it's like the best time to collect it if you were going to collect dew.
00:52:38
Speaker
That is so cute. I love it. Ah, okay. Yeah. So in folk magic, do is used in healing and medical cures. And it's supposed to be exceptionally potent on a woman's reproductive system. So there's a lot of like,
00:52:54
Speaker
lore online about just rolling around in dew and laying naked in the dew under the full moon until the sun rises. It helped you to get pregnant. I will avoid that at all costs. I will as well. I will not be doing that. And then also I was reading that many alchemical texts say that
00:53:16
Speaker
do should be collected on the waxing moon. I'm not sure why specifically for the waxing moon, but like I mentioned earlier when it comes to the lunar phases, you can use these to enhance your practice. So harvesting on the waxing moon can be a great time, you know, like if you're looking to gain something or expanding energies and whatnot, and then collecting during the waning moon,
00:53:38
Speaker
You can use it to repel anything. So this would be a great idea. Like if you're looking to both work with dew drops and work with the lunar cycles, this is like perfect. And then an Italian witchcraft dew is collected in small bottles from shaking out herbs and then used as holy water for blessing and purification. And so I bet you this, I mean, this goes back exactly to what you were saying. I bet they did it on specific herbs that were all for blessing and purification. Yeah. That's what they would use it for.
00:54:09
Speaker
you're getting the essence of the plant. That's what I was trying to think of. It's not like the nutrients, but you're getting the essence from the plant. So that's where you're getting the smells of it and just some of the potency of it.
00:54:24
Speaker
I love that. That is precious. I want to work with do now like I honestly like I've never even thought about it. And then even with researching this, there is not a lot like I tried even earlier before we started like looking more to see if I could find anything more and I could find like nothing.
00:54:42
Speaker
I didn't think about this. Well, I honestly, I just wasn't thinking about it at all. Because we just were like, here's yours, here's mine. And we went our own ways with it. I have like an alchemy book that I just bought because I was like, I want to read this because it sounds interesting. And I think there was some stuff on do drops in there.
00:55:01
Speaker
That's pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I'll have to, I'll have to do a little bit more research. Cause yeah, there's not a whole lot online, but I'm sure that there's tons of books out there.
Cultural Significance in Witchcraft: Respect and Intent
00:55:11
Speaker
And most of what I found whenever I was trying to research for do specifically is do drop like earrings and like crystals in the shapes of do drops. And I'm like, this is not what I'm looking for. But well, and I know we talked about this before, but when I researched a lot of these,
00:55:30
Speaker
It was hard to find like actual information on them. And the ones that I feel like I came across that had the most information were jewelry sites. Yes. Like specifically for the evil eye and the hamsa, it was hard to find information on these and like what they were used for. Until I found this, it was, um, I forget exactly what it was called. Actually, I can look at the notes.
00:55:54
Speaker
it was jewishgiftplace.com. They actually went into the whole history of both the evil eye and the hamsa, like the background of it, what it was used for, like what cultures used it. And it's honestly where I got most of my information from on these. And I thought it was so great that they were like being so like respectful of it and like
00:56:18
Speaker
not just selling it to make money, but giving a teaching moment on these items that have been used across many cultures and religions for centuries. Yeah. It was nice to come across that.
00:56:35
Speaker
This is important because it allows you to buy more thoughtfully, too. So you're able to make sure that you're buying with intention. You're not just buying from some fashion jewelry place or something that, oh, you really like this print or this pattern or this design because it's in right now, like actually researching this particular piece and understanding the significance of it. Why you should wear it, what it's used for, who's used it. I love that.
00:57:05
Speaker
And with this too, we covered a lot in this episode, but obviously there are way more symbols in the occult and in witchcraft and just in the world in general that maybe we'll revisit later. Maybe we'll come back and do a symbols part two with other symbols in occult and witchcraft. But this episode is already going to be an hour long, so there's more than what we did today unless you guys just want three hour episodes.
00:57:35
Speaker
Right, which we can make it happen. But I imagine most people would not really, because I will listen sometimes to episodes on other podcasts that are really long. And I can only work through half of it. I can only listen to half of it. And then I'll never go back and finish the rest. I don't mind it if it's something that's really piqued my interest. And one of the few podcasts that does more than an hour
00:58:04
Speaker
that I'll actually listen to is the last podcast on the left. Some of their episodes will be like two hours long, but they're telling stories about serial killers or the occult or you know, like cryptids or aliens or whatever. It's all like really interesting stuff. And they're hilarious on top of it. So yeah, it helps. Yeah, that does help. Yeah. Well, right. Yeah, that was symbols.
00:58:35
Speaker
That's it for this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. You can find our source material for this episode linked in the show notes. If you love this episode, we would be forever thankful if you leave us a five-star review on wherever you listen to your podcasts. If you really love the show and want more Get In Loser content, check out our Supercast link provided in the show notes or search the Supercast website for Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft.
00:58:59
Speaker
There you can purchase a membership to our podcast and obtain exclusives, like getting episodes early, shout outs on the show, access to our Ask Me Anything forum, our monthly newsletter, a promo code for merchandise, and more. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Get In Witches or email us at we'redoingwitchcraftandchable.com. Check us out next week as we discuss all things Ostarra. Until then, bless and feed witches.