I went and picked some blackberry stems today to makes some Witch’s Whisks and tonight I’m going to bless and cleanse them and cut all the thorns off under the full moon 🌕
In traditional English witchcraft a Whitch’s Whisk was set alight and blown out to smoke, just like a sage wand. The whisk is then used to “dance and weave” around the outside of your circle. The intent was to make a boundary for sacred space. The dried blackberry stems are cut and bound together at one end with traditionally red twine for power and protection but you can use any color twine to represent what you need it too. Sometimes the end bound is also covered in a matching colored wax for extra for intent.
The smoke of the whisk was used to exorcise evil entities and negativity, cleanse and consecrate a space, ward off misfortune and banish illnesses from the house and its inhabitants.
A chant which is traditionally associated with blackberries is the following. Chant it three times, knowing that you are invoking the energy of Brigid, the Goddess of Fire, healing and protection along with other things. The same chant is used for healing purposes.
“Three ladies came from the East, One with fire and two with frost, Out with thee fire and in with thee frost”
Everyone going shopping on Black Friday, be aware of three things:
The retail workers are working 12 hours shifts. We are threatened with losing our jobs if we don’t show up unless we’re dying in the hospital. I had an assistant manager show up with fucking strep because he would’ve been fired otherwise. Yes, he did infect 7 and hospitalize 2 coworkers; who knows how many members of the public he infected.
The stores have, maybe, 5 of that special cheap thing you’re after. Corporate does this on purpose, and stores are not allowed to order enough. The prices aren’t even that much lower. They lie about how expensive something is to fool you into thinking you’re getting a discount. You aren’t.
Most of the workers you will come across will be new hires for the sole purpose of being bodies for about three months before they’re fired. They actually don’t know anything because they’ve been working there for maybe two weeks, and have had no real training. I was once hired at Staples a week before Black Friday and expected to know how to deal with phones, coupons, the online ordering site, and AS400 after five 6-hour shifts. This is the kind of person you will likely be dealing with at Black Friday.
Do me and my retail family a favor and don’t shop Black Friday. Any company that needs a sale day like Black Friday to get their sales out of the red doesn’t deserve to be in business.
This also goes for anyone that works shipment too. We’re suddenly expected to stay as late as they want you to even if they know you don’t have a car and rely on a ride to get you to and from work and know you can’t stay late. Shipment workers will suddenly start getting berated for not getting things done and it is by far the most stressful time to be a shipment worker for any store. Especially when they throw in new hires that don’t know how to process things and are expected to work at the same pace as the people that have worked there for a while.
Retail is shit around the holidays, especially Black Friday
ok fellow millenials, it’s time to kill black friday
LET’S KILL BLACK FRIDAY
please consider buying second hand gifts this year. thifting, bidding on neat stuff on ebay, checking out resell apps, vintage shops, flea markets. don’t feed the cooperate beasts
Hail Brighid, Whose flame I tend Hail Brighid, Whose hearth I sit beside Hail Brighid Whose bread I eat Hail Brighid, Whose yarns I spin
Hail Brighid, Whose mantle I don as I go out Walking o’er hills and through wilds Listening for the call of her creatures Watching for the waters of her wells
Hail Brighid Whose fires leap in my heart even now Like a salmon through the rapids Like a swan taking flight
Hail Brighid, Wise mother And thank you for your bounties This day and every day This night and every night
Any of my GaelPols (or other pagan/polytheist/magical folks) know much about Tonja Reichley? I just picked up her book Wild Irish Roots and her Way of Brighid Oracle cards – so far I’m impressed with both. Her website doesn’t ping any negatives for me, and really I’m just wondering how I haven’t heard of her before.
If so, I’m familiar with the cards, but honestly don’t know much about the person behind them. I didn’t realize she had a website or a book!
I’m not sure why I haven’t heard much about her either if she’s got a website and a book and whatnot?
Yes! Those cards exactly! I’m really looking forward to using them in my Brighidine work, they’re very different from other things I’ve seen.
The book is newer, I think she just published it last year. It looks extremely interesting. It sort of follows the format of Kindling the Celtic Spirit where it goes through the year by month and includes herbcraft, some ritual, and other bits of Irish mysticism. From her website, it looks like she is an honest to goodness herbalist, and facilitates pilgrimage to Ireland and conducts classes in Irish spirituality. I’m honestly wondering how this is the first time I’m hearing of her given that she seems to be doing so much work.
Oh sweet mercy I found a new book and deck I am DYING to get 🙌🏻
The book looks sooooo good! I’m going to dive deeper into it later on tonight, but just skimming it, Reichley looks like she really knows what she’s talking about.
This makes me so so excited to get it!! I have been soaking up any book on Brigid I can possibly get. I just love her so much ❤️
I know exactly what you mean! ❤️🔥
OMG I was JUUUST asking @bogganbeliefs for recs on more Brighid books because I think I basically own all the “regular” ones.
YAY more books 😀 😀
Oh I’m so glad I could bring your attention to it! It’s more of a book about Irish polytheism in general than Brighid specifically, but it definitely has a ton if Brighid in it. I’m really enjoying it so far!
I mean I definitely need more books about Irish polytheism in my life! I feel like info on the Norse and Greek pantheons is AAALLLLL over the place, and there’s less solid material for us irish polytheists. Or I’m looking in all the wrong places.
No, I definitely think you’re right. It is much harder to find decent material on Gaelic polytheism, for just so many different reasons. I’m thinking I might try to do a review of Reichley’s book when I’m done with it since it seems that not many folks here are aware of it. We definitely need as much good work as we can get.
Any of my GaelPols (or other pagan/polytheist/magical folks) know much about Tonja Reichley? I just picked up her book Wild Irish Roots and her Way of Brighid Oracle cards – so far I’m impressed with both. Her website doesn’t ping any negatives for me, and really I’m just wondering how I haven’t heard of her before.
If so, I’m familiar with the cards, but honestly don’t know much about the person behind them. I didn’t realize she had a website or a book!
I’m not sure why I haven’t heard much about her either if she’s got a website and a book and whatnot?
Yes! Those cards exactly! I’m really looking forward to using them in my Brighidine work, they’re very different from other things I’ve seen.
The book is newer, I think she just published it last year. It looks extremely interesting. It sort of follows the format of Kindling the Celtic Spirit where it goes through the year by month and includes herbcraft, some ritual, and other bits of Irish mysticism. From her website, it looks like she is an honest to goodness herbalist, and facilitates pilgrimage to Ireland and conducts classes in Irish spirituality. I’m honestly wondering how this is the first time I’m hearing of her given that she seems to be doing so much work.
Oh sweet mercy I found a new book and deck I am DYING to get 🙌🏻
The book looks sooooo good! I’m going to dive deeper into it later on tonight, but just skimming it, Reichley looks like she really knows what she’s talking about.
This makes me so so excited to get it!! I have been soaking up any book on Brigid I can possibly get. I just love her so much ❤️
I know exactly what you mean! ❤️🔥
OMG I was JUUUST asking @bogganbeliefs for recs on more Brighid books because I think I basically own all the “regular” ones.
YAY more books 😀 😀
Oh I’m so glad I could bring your attention to it! It’s more of a book about Irish polytheism in general than Brighid specifically, but it definitely has a ton if Brighid in it. I’m really enjoying it so far!
woolandcoffee 