Explorations of the Wyrd
The Witch Nun
I've started taking my stuff a lot more seriously lately, and that is how this blog got started! Lately, I have been pondering a lot about what it means to be me, to be a Witch, and to work magic and witchcraft the way I do. I believe that everyone should have their own traditions, their own stories, and their own folklore. I believe it is important for us to cultivate a knowledge of the world around us, the people around us, and the communities that sustain us.
Through this I have been exploring my own connections to the spirits around me, and the spirits that guide me and my workings. This informs a lot of who I am as a person, as the spirits I work with are a continued presence in my life.
My main purpose is to be a Witch Nun, Oathbound to the Wyrd, and keeper of the arcane. I move through life through an animistic lens, and through this I work with the spirits of the land, and the spirits around me. They are a Witch whom is in monastic solitude to their spirits, and they practice as a Cunningfolk to people and contemplate the mysteries. Part of being a Witch Nun is investing in yourself, your spirits, and your practice. Vows and all are serious things, and can have a serious affect on your life. I am still learning the mysteries of what this means to me.
The Courts
Our Lady Beneath
My emanation of the triformed spirit of Bones. They are part of my syncretization of Hekate, Freyja, and the Morrigan. As a Goddess they preside over life, death, witchcraft, necromancy, love, war, and peace. They are a complicated figure whom is sometimes contradictory to herself, and that is part of the Paradox of Our Lady Beneath. She lives below the mounds, and is a Faerie Queen in her own right. She has three faces, standing at the crossroads and looking in every direction.
It is through my workings with them that I am able to find a peace in my own life - It is valuable work to be able to learn the secrets of the Wild Rose which blooms before me, in through the concrete and able to survive the wilds of the city. Thorny and graceful, I dedicate this journey to the Wild Rose, the Greenwood that revealed itself to me in my working with it.
Our Lady Beneath has been guiding me for a while now, and is part of the spirit of Bones that is translated through working with the dead. In my workings of Necromancy, honouring the dead and placating them is a big part of my practice. It is why I practice the Red Meal - a sacred exchange between spirit and flesh that happens when we consume, and are consumed by the spirits of the dead.
The Trickster
Hermes Enodios - The Folkloric Devil I have an agreement with Hermes, and he prefers to be referred to as The Trickster Lord, whom presides over scholars, tricksters, and thieves. I work with him primarily in the shadow of Mel whom is oathbound to him. He guides travelers and those whom rule over the liminal, as he is liminal himself.
This is also where my work with Hermekate/Hekahermes comes in, which is the androgynous manifestation of both Hermes, and Hekate - the ultimate spirit of the Crossroads. My basis for this is mostly from the PGM, and the invocations found within. Hermes as his manifestation of the Hare Lord is a trickster whom I also associate with the spirit of Nanabozho, the Anishinaabe spirit of the Trickster - often found in the forms of the Rabbit, the Coyote, and the Crow. In this emanation, Hermes is the giver of knowledge to humankind.
Rabbits, Coyotes, and Crows are considered difficult to capture, and as such have gained a reputation of being tricksters. Every time I walk the Crossroads, I call upon Hermekate to illuminate my path, knowing they could help or hinder me, guide me to where I need to be. These animals hold a sacred place as the shapeshifting master of illumination, trickery, and cunning. The devil wears many faces and through this disguise he pushes us to be better and to grow as people.
Spiritus
The spirits I interact with the most in my practice, including my Familiar, Creacher. I also honour the Ancestors, in their many forms - The Queer and Trans Dead, the Bloodline, and the Tradition. They are all Ancestors in my practice, and I work with the dead quite often. The Queer dead are important to me, and I also honour friends and family that have passed on.
In this practice I have an ancestor altar set up for Sylvia Rivera, Leslie Feinberg, and Marsha P. Johnson - Three comrades in arms whom I deeply respect and have been venerating as Folk Saints of the Queer Ancestors. I've always been really inspired by the work of STAR and what they did for youth homelessness, it's something that's very important to me. While perusing the wiki I noticed queer saint veneration and i've been doing a lot of transcestor work within regards to my own queerness and the siblings who've come before us.
Creacher is in a clade all of their own. They consider themselves a Faery spirit, and most often take the shape of a Crow. Creacher is my familiar whom I met in 2019, after some shenanigans regarding the Underworld. We are Oathbound as of 2026, and the pact has been officially been sealed.
The Saints
Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Michael the Archangel, the two I have the most dealings with, mostly for protection. I've worked with both since early 2014, when they both came to me in a dream. This was during the period of my life where I was just coming to terms with my gender identity, and needed the extra protection as a vulnerable person. St Joan and the transgender experience is so so important to me. I would have visions of her regularly when I was younger and struggling with my gender identity and she brought me a LOT of comfort during that time in my life when I wasn’t able to live as myself externally, her and St Michael helped a LOT to protect me.
Pharmacopoeia
I was recently able to acquire three new herbs for my apothecary cabinet: Rue, Vervain, and Hyssop. These came at the recommendation of Matthew Venus, in his book "Ensouling the Effigy". The formulary is really well thought out and I've been enjoying it very much since cracking the book open. It's been quite the journey working with my spirits and learning how to navigate through spirit relationships in general. From this has sprung a few recipes of my own.
I thought I would share my Crossroads Incense, used to call forth the power of the liminal and burned as part of my ritual workings with Our Lady Beneath, The Trickster, and the Crossroads themselves.
Crossroads Incense
- 1 Part Mugwort
- 1 Part White Oak Bark
- 1/2 Part Juniper Berries
- 1/2 Part Elderberries
- 1 Part Hawthorn Berries and Leaves
- 1/2 Part Frankincense Resin
- 13 Drops of Sandalwood Oil
Blend all the herbs together into a coarse powder, add in your essential oil, mix. Allow to mature for one full lunar cycle before using. Before the first usage, inscribe the sigil of the crossroads onto a piece of paper in black ink and burn it to ash. Mix the ash with the incense for added power.
My favourite thing to do with this incense blend is to burn it in offering to the liminal. I burn it whenever I do any workings that require the usage of a liminal space, for trance work, and as a divination blend - it allows me to reach beyond the Veil into the liminal itself and pull answers to questions needed.
A Ritual Oil of Our Lady Beneath
This Oil has been in the works for some years now, and has required quite a bit of tinkering to get it to where I want it to be. I use this to align myself to Our Ladies' energy, to anoint sacred objects, effigies, and her rosary, and to bless things in her name. I use this oil to dress candles, and as an additive in anything dedicated to Them. It takes a full moon cycle to complete, but ideally you would consecrate it under 13 full moons, and 12 dark moons.
Some of the ingredients I have used over the years for this oil include:
- Hawthorn Leaves and Berries
- Mugwort
- Saffron
- Lavender
- Skullcap
- Juniper Berries
- Wormwood
- Rose
- Sweet Gale
- Valerian Root
- Bittersweet Nightshade
As well as a number of other materia including the bones of crows, crossroads dirt, snake shed, obsidian, garnet, and moonstone. There are several prayers I have dedicated to this oil that I am declining to share at the moment due to their nature. This oil is made with a base of Jojoba, and Olive, and finished by swirling the mother bottle through the above incense smoke.
Lately, I have been using the Smoke of the Hallowed Tongue from "Ensouling the Effigy" by Matthew Venus. I find it is very good for fortifying the breath during magical work, especially that involving a lot of spoken word. I have decided to omit the St. John's Wort in this blend due to some health concerns, but it has been working as intended, and has worked very well for me so far. I am not sharing the recipe here due to ethical concerns.
Tridesma Hiera - Rites of the Witch Nun #1
The Red Meal
There is one rite that I consistently observe in my religious practice, and that is the Red Meal, that I perform on the Deipnon each month. The Deipnon is traditionally recalled as the Feast of Hekate, where offerings are made in supplication to the restless dead and spirits that she calls her Horde. This is celebrated each month on the New Moon. During this time the house is swept, and her epithet Borboraphorba is invoked to cleanse the space for the next moon cycle. Cedar may be soaked in lustral water and sprinkled about the place to consecrate and bless the space in her name. The Red Meal or the Housle is consumed ritualistically to become one with the dead. This is done by blessing wine, and bread in their name, and consuming it. It is very similar to the rite of the Eucharist in Catholicism.
Firstly, Bless the Bread:
"Here is bread, the life of the Earth,
Blessed to give us life and strength.
I consecrate it in the name of Our Lady Beneath
With my left hand I bless it,
With my left hand I shall eat it"
Then, Bless the Wine:
"Here is wine, filling the cup with abundance,
I consecrate it in the name of Our Lady Beneath
With my left hand I lift it,
With my left hand I shall drink it"
Partake in the Red Meal by lifting up the bread, and the wine in your left hand. This should be done for all members whom are partaking in the Red Meal.
As such while you are partaking recite this:
"As I drink this wine, and partake of this bread,
I drink of you, and eat of you,
For there is nought of me that isn't yours,
And not of yours that isn't mine.
Blessings be upon you and yours"
At this point, all the remaining leftovers are to be buried in a hole in the ground at a crossroads, as an offering to the spirits, and to Our Lady herself.
"As some is taken, so is this given,
By the shining light of Our Lady Beneath
I give it to the dead below
That above and below will become one
For what is taken is truly given
And what is given is truly taken
Blessings, Lady, upon your kin."