Beàlltainn/Samhainn is next week, yo

#Pagan
#Witchcraft
#WheelOfTheYear

Minoan spirituality is for everyone! Get to know the Minoan deities (Ariadne, Dionysus, the Serpent Mother, the Minotaur and more) and discover the Ariadne's Tribe sacred calendar and ritual format. This book is your all-in-one starter kit for inclusive Minoan spirituality.

The hyacinths are thrusting up through the soil, the gayest flower of the early spring season. They're named after Greek hero and Spartan prince, Hyacinthus. Renown for his beauty, he was a lover of the West and North Winds, and later Apollo.

He tragically died while playing discus, when he chased after Apollo's throw and it bounced back and hit him in the head. An accident, or the influence of the jealous West Wind, Zephyrus?

Where his blood fell to the ground, Apollo raised flowers to honor him. He was defied and buried at the feet of Apollo's temple, and his cult was widespread. There is some evidence he was actually a pre-Hellenic cthonic deity of vegetation and sorrow, who was later merged with the cult of Apollo.

Though our modern day hyacinths are not the same as the ancient Greek's, which were closer to irises, every year I still appreciate these cthonic, phallic flowers when they arrive to signal spring.

Occult Love Fest, April 2025 #FindTheOthers #OccultLoveFest #RollCall #SoundOff #occult #occulture #pagan #art #books #esoteric #folklore #heathen #magick #music #thelema #TownGownTauDivide #witch #wizard #whatever https://library.hrmtc.com/2025/04/24/occult-love-fest-april-2025/

When I started to make (and sell) dolls and people started to tell me that my dolls help them I was wondering - how? is it true? is it placebo? I never offered them as magical solutions. Of course, I can't deny there is my thought, intention and inner conversation happening while I craft my dolls - it's a personal practice. I know about traditional uses of dolls in folk magick and witchcraft, but not all who own my dolls call themselves witches or use them for ritualistic or magical purposes. When "The Healing Doll Way" - a visually stunning book about creating dolls as part of art therapy by Barb Kobe reached me, I finally dared to look for the answer - how can a doll help? In this book the author offers a guided process of creating dolls for self-discovery, awareness and transformation, but if you are not the one creating a doll, is there still any benefit of engaging with dolls as an adult? Turns out, the idea that dolls can help isn’t just a weird thought of a few "crazy" witches. The power and potential of dolls as valuable tools for personal development, self-reflection and regulation, transformation, growth, healing and overcoming problems is well recognized, accepted and used in modern psychology and psychotherapy.

This doll right here was created channelling confidence and self-acceptance. Kind of affirmation doll, a reminder and symbolic companion. That's what most of my dolls are. I still don't know if my dolls are art or delusional madness, but do we know where to draw the line? Is it even possible to draw a clear line and is it even needed? You tell me... The fact that my dolls help is something buyers of my dolls told me, I had no clue it could happen, just a hope they would bring joy and the sense of companionship. To my own surprise they do a lot more, and I've heard a few times: "Kristine, you don't know what you are doing with those dolls." And I agree. To be honest, I needed 7 years of crafting dolls to understand that a doll is a powerful vessel.

If you are interested in exploring this topic, you can find my full article about this here: Through The Lens of Psychology: How Can a Doll Help?

https://www.silticrafts.com/dolls-and-inspirations/through-the-lens-of-psychology-how-can-a-doll-help

(The link takes you to my SiltiCrafts home page)

#Tarot underneath/shadow card of evening: The Empress-III.

Time to put your creativity and craft to work. Stop procrastinating. Works that you've allowed to percolate, it is time to hunker down and finish them.

#Tarot card of evening: The Chariot-VII.

You've got to take the reins and take charge because it won't get done if you don't do it. No one is coming to offer help nor relief. Set the pace and do what needs to be done.

same sketch, one without filters and a slightly edited version.
#pagan #surrealism #bunnies #wallpapers

#Spring is a time for a lot of traditional + #pagan celebrations. Here's a post of mine from last year for Ūsiņš Day the #Latvian celebration for the #CrossQuarterDay around #MayDay though Christianisation has often bumped it up to April 23- nearly on top of #Easter this year. I'm happy to lump them all together- the first flowers, warming weather, the greening soon to come, renewal of life- and some chocolate! I'll be out looking for bees today. #SeasonalRhythms #nature
https://cohanmagazine.blogspot.com/2024/04/blog-post.html

New #DeckInterview on my #blog: "Angels and Ancestors Oracle."
https://itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com/2025/04/23/deck-interview-angels-and-ancestors-oracle/

New #BookReview on my #blog: "Tarot for Self-Care."
https://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2025/04/book-review-tarot-for-self-care.html

#books #reading #reviews #Tarot #ItinerantLibrarian #occult #cartomancy #divination #pagan #heathen #witch #esoterica #Bookstodon

@bookstodon

#Tarot underneath/shadow card of evening: Justice-XI.

If you've been just and fair in your dealings, then nothing to fear. Have faith that Justice will come for those who deserve it in due time. The scales will balance. Stay in your just and fair path.

#Tarot card of evening: Page of Swords.

Where others would rather you stay ignorant, you need to stay curious, vigilant, and ready for what may come. Keep an open mind and a willingness to learn.

another bunny. this isn't exactly how I wanted this to turn out
#pagan #surrealism

Very excited to announce the newest publication from our micropress 1000Volt Press is out today! Pagan Roots: Reclaiming Concepts of the Sacred by Yvonne Aburrow.

“Fascinated by the etymology of words and the history of ideas, Yvonne Aburrow has set out to disentangle Pagan spirituality from ideas that do not serve the needs of Pagans, and to reclaim religious concepts that have been rejected.”

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this morning in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case that pits two foundational principles of public education against each other: the authority of local school boards to set a unified curriculum, and the rights of religious parents to exempt their children from materials they find objectionable.

https://wildhunt.org/2025/04/supreme-court-hears-case-on-parents-religious-rights-to-exempt-children-from-school-books.html

I made this doll over a year ago, when that one folk song was running through my head on repeat. It's about Laima - Latvian pagan goddess of fate who determines the fortune of human life. In the early morning Laima walks the earth giving people gifts that determine where their fortune and happiness is. She gives material goods to one, fame to another one, and then the singer-storyteller asks: "What will you give me?" After a heavy exhale Laima reaches to the very bottom of her dowry of gifts and takes out a golden kokle (musical instrument with strings) and a yarn ball of songs, and hands it over.

There is a lot to unpack, and that heavy exhale of a goddess who comes with gifts... Handing over something very precious from the very bottom. She gives a journey of life that's not the easiest one, not well understood or accepted, but the one that makes the world a better place, the one that touches hearts of others, the one that is needed. Imagine a world without music, stories told in many different forms of art... Or better don't. Feed with your thoughts what your want to grow.

Broom is one of the symbols of Laima, although you would rarely see her depicted holding a broom (your rarely see any Latvian pagan gods depicted in art at all, you can meet them more in music). With the broom she clears the path, so it's easier for good fate to express if you walk behind Laima. This little lady right here, she is not the goddess herself - I didn't dare to call her a goddess Laima. She is a witch named Laima (that's a casual Latvian female name).

She is here to remind and encourage you to use your gifts. They might feel heavy sometimes, and other times you just can't seem to have any (that's why she is hiding in grey), but they are there. Your gifts are into what you like and enjoy, what comes easily and brings joy and the feeling of fulfilment. That's where the essence of life can be found - into engaging into the call that runs through your heart. This is what this doll is about.

(She is still available).

Tyr's Day Blessings!

Chaos is necessary for order to be recognised and measured by. It is the nature of creation that the waltz of opposites comprises the complete fabric of being, and to base the spiritual path upon a bias toward one or another polarity is to walk it askew.
#pagan #paganism #norsepagan #heathen #druid #fenrir #tyr #tyrsday #tuesday #chaos #order #writer #writing

all the bunny pictures inspired me to make this even though I can't draw
#pagan