Unveiling Lilith: Ancient Origins to Modern
Witchcraft

As we journey closer to Samhain, the veil becomes thinner, and the Northern Hemisphere becomes darker, there is one particular deity that urges our attention: Lilith. Her origins stretch far back into antiquity, and her mythology has evolved over the centuries through many different cultures. She earns the title “Queen of Demons” through her pernicious and lascivious folklore.

Lilith Origins and Mythology

Ancient texts dating back to around 2000 B.C. suggest that Lilith has her origins in the lilitu of ancient Sumerian mythology.These were demons of the vampire or succubus variety, and they would haunt people in their sleep, often spawning demonic children. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh details each class of lilitu and narrates folk tales of their interactions with humans.  

In Syria, Lilits were referred to as “divine flyers”, and depicted as winged sphinxes. The Syrians pronounced incantations to banish these demons out of the room where a woman was in child labor. In general, these early iterations of Lilith were considered entities of chaos and malevolence by ancient peoples. They were considered a danger to anyone sleeping alone, but they were particularly
harmful to female-bodied people during certain times of their sexual cycles: during virginity, menstruation, and up to an hour after childbirth.

Lilith, Judaism, & Christianity

The name Lilith is mentioned several times in the Talmud and the Christian Bible. One of the most well-known citations is in Isaiah 34, verse 14: “The wild cat shall meet with the jackals, And the satyr
shall cry to his fellow, Yea, Lilith shall repose there And find her place of rest”. The verse references the day of judgment when the earth shall be turned into a desert, where Lilith resides. This association with Lilith and the desert originates from the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. Her appearance in the prophecy of Isaiah tells us that Lilith was a well-known figure in the 8th century when this text was written and that she was a demonic entity. 

It wasn’t until the medieval period that Lilith became associated with the Creation story. The Alphabet of Ben Sira is the first
text to name Lilith as Adam’s first wife. Lilith refused to lay with Adam, seeing herself as Adam’s equal and not subservient to him. In protest, she spoke the magical words of God and flew away to the Red Sea, where she bore her “demonic brood”. This is where Lilith gets her title of “The Queen of Demons”. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Lilith’s story was re-popularized, but her characterization as a succubus or vampire evolved into a fallen woman or seductress, a fearful symbol of sin and evil.

Lilith as a Figure in Modern Witchcraft

In our modern world, many are interested in reframing Lilith’s story as Adam’s first wife through a more feminist lens. She is a woman brave enough to take her destiny into her own hands, and therefore a symbol of female empowerment and independence. For others, her associations with sex and promiscuity make her a deity of female sexual pleasure and sensuality. Modern pagans often call upon Lilith for boldness, sexual liberation, and to reclaim one’s personal power. If you feel called to work with Lilith, you may use ingredients such as willow, dragon’s blood, or frankincense in your spell work. Wine and aphrodisiacs are also appropriate offerings. You may lay out statues of Lilith on your altar, or icons of owls will invoke her energy as well. If you are unsure of where to start on
your journey with Lilith, you can try out our Lilith Offering & Spell Kit, which has all the tools you need to get started. You can find it in our online shop, or you can come visit our store and talk to a member of staff who can give you more guidance.

Samhain, the third and final harvest, is one of the major festivals of the Wheel of the Year. For many Pagans it is the most important festival. The harvest is complete, it is the end of the cycle of birth and growth, the point of death. Traditionally the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and it is the time to honor and offer hospitality to our ancestors.

Colors of the Season

Traditional colors of the season are black for death and endings, orange for fire and the bounty of the final harvest, and purple for insight and inspiration.

Plants of the Season

Pumpkins, Gourds, Apples, Nuts, Berries, Mugwort, Rosemary, Marigolds, Chrysanthemums.

Symbols

A cauldron, photos of deceased relatives and loved ones honor the passage to the Summerland and the Ancestors, the besom broom, black candles.

Additional suggestions for celebrating.

Take a walk in a natural area near your home. Observe the colors, aromas, sounds, and other sensations of the season. Gather some natural objects and add them to your altar.

Samhain is a fire festival.  If possible, have bonfire outdoors or light a fire in your fireplace or even a small cauldron. Write down a habit that you wish to end and cast it into the flames seeing it being released.

Use Tarot, Runes, Scrying, or some other form of divination to seek guidance for the coming years.

Have a craft day. Gather leaves and make leaf prints, carve a pumpkin or a turnip, bake a sweet treat.

Tap into the Halloween interpretation and pile up on the couch with a bag of candy and your favorite horror movie.

 Find a way to celebrate that brings you happiness.

Suggested Ritual

Start by creating the altar. While setting up your altar anoint the items and yourself with the Samhain oil. Think about those departed by death from your life, (family, friends, pets) as you place photographs of them on your altar. Offer them your hospitality and welcome their presence into your home.

For those who have lost loved ones in the past year, Samhain rituals can be an assistance in the grieving process and an opportunity to spiritually commune with your loved ones.

Blessed Samhain

Persephone: A Deep Dive into the Goddess of Spring and The Underworld. 

As the seasons start changing again, you may look for ways to honor the earth’s cycle. During this time of year, many look to Persephone to lead us into the dark half of the year. Persephone’s story is one many are familiar with, and in this blog, we will explore ways to incorporate this powerful goddess into your pagan practice.

Persephone in Greek Mythology

Persephone is the daughter of Demeter, the Greek goddess of grain, agriculture, and bread. Demeter is responsible for sustaining the human race through facilitating the earth’s rich bounty. The two Goddesses together represent agriculture and the earth's continuous cycles. 

Persephone’s story begins playing in a meadow with her nymph friends. She gets kidnapped by Hades and taken to the underworld to be his bride. Demeter, accompanied by Hecate, searches desparingly for her daughter. When she discovers that Zeus was an accomplice in her kidnapping, Demeter refuses to let the earth produce food until her daughter is returned. Zeus concedes and Persephone is brought back to earth and reunited with Demeter. 

However, Persephone had already eaten the fruit of the Underworld, a handful of pomegranate seeds, and therefore was bound to return to the underworld annually for 6 months. This story is where we get Persephone’s connection with the pomegranate, a fruit associated with growth, fertility, and the life and death cycle. 

Many believe that Persephone returns to the underworld on the autumn equinox every year, and Demeter despairs at her absence until they are reunited in the spring. This annual ritual of separation and reconvening is what makes the seasons change.

Worshiping the Goddess of Spring

The ancient Greeks formed an agricultural-based cult dedicated to Demeter and Persephone, and they performed annual rites they called The Greater Mysteries at Eleusis. The rites included a ritual bath in the sea, three days of fasting, and a “central rite” which even to this day is a secret lost in time. Those who undertook the Greater Mysteries were promised a blessed afterlife. 

In ancient art, Persephone is usually depicted next to her mother, while other works show Hades and Persephone enthroned in the Underworld. Today, Persephone represents transitions and change. She also embodies duality as Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld. Her ascension to Earth signals the start of a new life cycle, yet she holds substantial power over the dead. You may feel called to work with Persephone if you are trying to get in touch with your shadow side, or are going through changes in your life. 

In general, working with Persephone is a great way to connect with the Earth as we transition into the colder, barren months. You might try a ritual bath at home, as the ancient Greeks did, or perform an offering to Persephone. Some common offerings would include flowers, especially asphodel, weeping willow, grains, and of course, pomegranates and pomegranate-derived ingredients. 

Planning your ritual with these themes and ingredients in mind will help you form a closer bond with Persephone. Luckily, our shop has all the tools you need to get started. Our handmade Persephone Offering & Spell Kit comes with an herbal blend, magickal oil, incense, a candle, and more suggestions for rituals and spells. You can find this and more tools in our online store, or you can stop by our shop in Asheville and talk to a member of our team for more guidance.

The September Sabbat box is dedicated to Mabon. Celebrated on or about the Autumn Equinox, September 23, it is a time of balance of the light and dark, and turning to the dark. Many pagans see Mabon, the second harvest celebration (after the first harvest Lammas) and the Fall Equinox as a time to express gratitude and honor a moment of balance.
Colors of the Season
Traditional colors of the season are gold, orange, red, bronze, and rust. The colors of changing leaves and harvested fruits.
Plants of the Season
Grapes, rose hips, elderberries, blackberries, hawthorn berries, leaves, pinecones, corn, pomegranate, squash, root vegetables, rosemary, sage, mugwort, and yarrow, sunflowers, thistles, marigolds.
The apple is the symbol of the second harvest, representing life, immortality, healing, renewal, and wholeness. It is associated with beauty, long life, and restored youth. Cut an apple width way and it reveals a pentagram containing seeds.
Traditions and Symbols
The Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty, is a traditional symbol for Mabon, representing the wealth of harvest and the balance of both male (phallic) and female (hollow and receptive).
Harvest tools (scythe, baskets), acorns, pinecones, seeds, fall leaves.
You may decide to add items that represent your own personal harvest both figuratively and literally.
Deities associated with Mabon are Green Man, Demeter, Persephone, Morrigan, Pomona, Inanna.
Animals associated are owl, stag, blackbird, salmon.
Suggestions of ways to celebrate.
Celebrate with a feast for friends and family using your own and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Go for a walk to collect leaves, seeds, cones and fall blooming wildflowers
Complete unfinished projects and clear your home of unwanted items to prepare for the indoor winter months.
Fall is a wonderful time to plant trees, seeds, and shrubs. Plant bulbs with an aspiration or idea for Spring that you will remember when they begin to sprout after their winter underground.
Mabon Ritual of Gratitude
Start by creating an altar. As you are setting up your altar anoint the items and yourself with the Mabon oil. Think about the ways you create balance within yourself and in the physical world.
When you are ready anoint and light your candles giving thanks to the Earth, Goddesses, Gods, and Ancestors who stand behind you in all that you do and all that you are. Thank them sincerely like you would a friend that has given you help. Ask for nothing in return. You can leave an offering on your altar to show that you are aware of the assistance that you are receiving.
Light your incense, breathe deeply and focus on the burning candles. What are you grateful for? You might want to have paper and pen to write down what comes to mind. During challenging times gratitude magic can bring powerful change. Health, partner, family members, the friend that checks in on you every week, signing up for an online class, making it through the day, gratitude comes in many forms. The practice is centering, calming and a reminder of what is important. Spend as much time as it takes and speak aloud what you appreciate about each. You can place your writing on your altar or burn and release. You may decide to write a note of thanks to the people in your life who make your life better. When you are ready to end set the intention to hold these feelings of gratefulness and that you will be able to feel them again whenever you need.
Do not forget to blow out your candle and incense.
Have a Blessed Mabon!

The Morrigan: Legends and Symbolism of the Celtic Goddess of War 

When we think of Irish Mythology, The Morrigan emerges as a captivating and powerful deity. She is a Celtic goddess of war and sovereignty, and her associations with death give her an intimidating reputation. While her patronage is not for the faint of heart, working with The Morrigan can incite exponential growth in one’s pagan practice.

The Morrigan in Irish Mythology

The Morrigan, sometimes also spelled Morrighan, but usually addressed with the definite article, is most closely associated with battles, warriors, and sovereign borders. She is also referred to as the Phantom Queen, a direct translation from her Celtic name. She most famously appears in the Ulster Cycle, a collection of Irish heroic legends and sagas. In these source texts, The Morrigan rallies and accompanies heroes into battles across Ireland. As a shape-shifting goddess, The Morrigan historically took the form of a raven, a wolf, or a crone. She commonly rode on the backs of cattle when involved in battles. When she takes on a human representation, she is portrayed as having otherworldly beauty.  

Ancient and Modern Worship of The Morrigan

References to The Morrigan can be found in ancient texts from Britain as well as Gual, suggesting that she is a pan-Celtic goddess. Since she is the Celtic goddess of war, she would be called on before battles for allyship and protection. Due to similarities in symbolism and her close association with death, modern pagans sometimes associate The Morrigan with the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. While her mythology suggests that The Morrigan is one of three sisters, she is not depicted as a triple-bodied goddess such as Hecate from the Greek pantheon. Today, The Morrigan is known as a deity that incites difficult but worthy life lessons for her followers.  As a goddess of sovereignty, she teaches us to honor our own sovereignty, personal power, and our boundaries. As a goddess of war, she acts as an ally to the warriors of our modern-day.

Working With the Phantom Queen. 

Working with such a powerful goddess should not be taken lightly and it is best to start with thorough research. Many believe that The Morrigan carefully chooses who she works with and that if you have been chosen, she will give you clear signs through nightmares, visions, or omens. Many witches and pagans often feel reluctant to get involved with The Morrigan due to her intense reputation, but cite their experience with her as being ultimately positive albeit tough. Once you feel you are ready to work with The Morrigan, you may start with some simple offerings. Common offerings include blood, milk, meat, or crow and raven feathers. Some herbs associated with the Celtic goddess of war are yew, mugwort, garlic, and vervain. If you like to use crystals, options include obsidian, ruby, garnet, and red jasper. Our Morrigan Offering & Spell Kit contains helpful tools to get you started. Inside, you will find crystals, herbs, a candle and candle holder, anointing oil, and a scroll of ritual ideas. 

The Morrigan’s presence in our lives inspires rapid change, and her trial-by-fire methods offer a powerful experience for any pagan or witch looking to work with her. All the tools you need to start working with her can be found in our online store, or you can visit our shop and talk to one of our staff members for more support in your studies.

Kitchen Witches use spells, recipes, and rituals to
create magical meals, gardens, and homes. The kitchen is the modern-day hearth where we come together to cook, share meals, and talk about our lives. Kitchen
witchery offers the opportunity to practice and engage in magic daily by turning simple tasks into sacred acts.

 Create a kitchen altar. Creating an altar is simply assembling symbolic items in a meaningful and intentional way. Kitchen altars can be created on a table, the top of the microwave or refrigerator, or the corner of a counter, trust your instinct when selecting a spot.

 My kitchen altar is the windowsill and window above the kitchen sink, and includes a stained glass raven, an evil eye pendant, bottles for fresh and dried flowers, my
mortar and pestle, a bottle of Chinese Floor wash, orange and rose waters, stones, a candle, hanging herbs from the garden and a spell bottle.

Spell bottles or as they were called in the Elizabethan
age “witch bottles” have been around since the 1600’s. Although primarily used for protection, they can be created for a variety of intentions such as health,
love, money, and happiness.

Start a Kitchen Witch Grimoire or Book of Shadows to hold family recipes, herbal knowledge, and your kitchen witch secret recipes. A kitchen grimoire can be a recipe book, three-ring binder, or a composition book.  

I hope you are enjoying the late days of summer and
cooking up some magic. 

May you have -

Walls for the wind

And a roof for the rain,

And drinks bedside the fire

Laughter to cheer you

And those you love near you,

And all that your heart may desire

(Celtic Blessing)

How to Create a Spell Bottle

1. Define Your Intent.

Spell bottles in your kitchen can offer protection from
burns, cuts and kitchen accidents, bless anything cooked there with health to be passed on to those who enjoy it, amplify the spell work you do there, and bring a sense of security, well-being and happiness that will spread throughout
your home.

2. Select a Container.

A bottle of your choosing.

3. Choose Your Bottle's Contents.

You might choose to add a teaspoon of dry soil from outside
your home or from a favorite house plant. Stones of your choosing such as:

Moss agate has a grounding and stabilizing effect and has
become known as the stone of gardeners. Moss agate causes the release of deep-rooted anxiety and stress, assist in the ability to get along well with others, protects the body during periods of stress, aids in the recovery from illness, increases concentration.

Tigers Eye is a stone that helps release fear and anxiety
and aids harmony and balance. Tigers Eye is attributed to bringing insight into complex situations, protecting from negative energies, helping focus the mind, attracting good luck, grounding, and centering personal energy, dispelling fears, and promoting mental clarity.

Herbs of your choosing. Learn more about the attributes of each herb to match your intentions for the spell bottle.

Add any other items you feel needed to your bottle.

4. Fill Your Bottle.

Focus on the reason you choose your items as you fill the
bottle with them.

5. Seal Your Bottle.

You may simply seal with the cork stopper, the lid to your
bottle, or a crystal stopper. You may also additionally seal with the wax from a candle.

6. Meditate on Your Intent.

Once your bottle is sealed you might want to speak aloud
your intentions for creating the bottle and end with so mote it be. Hold your bottle and visualize your intentions being manifested.

7. Place Your Bottle.

For a kitchen spell bottle you might consider above or near
the oven, above or near the sink, hidden in a cabinet that you use the most often (such as plates or cups), the pantry, where you store your herbs and spices, above or near a doorway that leads to the rest of the house, as always trust your instincts.