https://ritualdust.com/folklore/ Recent content in Folklore on Ritual dust Hugo -- gohugo.io en-ca https://ritualdust.com/folklore/way-of-life/ Sun, 20 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/way-of-life/ This is in no way intended to be general advice or universal truth, it’s what worked for me in life so far. These are the result of a long distillation process, introspection, life experiences, therapy and meditation. It will definitely change in the future, like myself. It is written in that form as a message from present me to future me. Table of contents Listen to nature Know your feelings Trust your body Set boundaries Take accountability Practice gratitude Learn your privilege Tend to your insecurities Be honest with yourself Commitments not tasks Cultivate a relationship with nature Nature is always there somewhere, even in the most brutalist city corners and we’re part of it. https://ritualdust.com/folklore/the-ghost-is-part-of-the-earth-now/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/the-ghost-is-part-of-the-earth-now/ I no more feel like a ghost, i feel like the earth, the soil with it’s deep and complex network of roots and mycelium, with a whole ecosystem of bugs and living things crawling around. I can feel the cover of dead leaves and rotting fruit accumulated on top of me, not hindering my feelings but comforting like a blanket, protecting the bulbs and the nuts that fell on the ground at the turn of the seasons, allowing them to slowly get ready to bloom in the spring, feeding on this bed of decomposing remnants from the past. https://ritualdust.com/folklore/druidism/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/druidism/ Hand holding small boline Table of contents History Celebrations Links History of druidism Very few sources concerning the druids of the Iron age subsists to this day, most of the being accounts from Greek, Roman and christian sources. It can be interpreted from these texts that the modern image of the druid as a priestly figure presiding over sacrifices, rituals and the conservation and sharing of wisdom was mostly found amongst the druids of Gaul. https://ritualdust.com/folklore/witches-flying-ointment/ Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/witches-flying-ointment/ Flying ointment or salve is a potentially hallucinogenic and highly toxic blend of plants in a fatty base that appears in folklore, fiction and books relating to witch hunting dating back to the middle ages. There’s still quite a bit of debate amongst folklorists and researchers on whether such ointments actually existed, if they actually contained the toxic and hallucinogenic plants often associated with them and whether they are one of the sources of the myth of the witch flying on a broom (the theory being that witches would craft mind-altering flying ointment, apply it on a broom stick and “ride” it in order to “fly”, in a combination of sexual stimulation, trance state and possibly vivid dreams and visions of flying). https://ritualdust.com/folklore/anarchism/ Thu, 07 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/anarchism/ Post Civilization is an idea that I’ve first encountered when I was about 18, still in university, very much a self-described anarchist and at the time quite active in the student movements. Revisiting this idea of a way of living post-civilization that is more sustainable, more equal and more fulfilling still rings true 14 years later with the current climate crisis and the constant train wreck of late-stage capitalism. The first iteration of that philosophy comes from a small zine published by Strangers In a Tangled Wilderness called Post-Civ! https://ritualdust.com/folklore/folk-horror/ Fri, 25 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/folk-horror/ The sun symbol from the titles of the Wicker Man movie Table of contents Introduction Movies and television Literature Music Links Folk Horror refers to a mode of story-telling, a set of themes and to some extent an aesthetic movement fascinated by exploring the ways in which old rites, traditions and folklore can embed itself in the land and places, it digs for the ways in which humans over thousands of generations have imprinted the landscape and also how the landscape leave impressions on the human psyche. https://ritualdust.com/folklore/correspondences/ Thu, 23 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/correspondences/ Correspondences are links between different symbolic ideas, objects, moments and ingredients. These are useful in different magical and alchemical practices to enhance the effect of a spell or ritual. I also find them useful as reference to create symbolic artworks , create sigils or to be used as a guide and tool for introspection and self-discovery. Day correspondences Day Intent Planet Astrological sign Element Colors Deities Monday Emotions, dreams, clairvoyance Moon Cancer Water White and greys Selene, Luna, Diana, and Artemis Tuesday intent Mars Scorpio Fire Red and warm shades Mars, Ares Wednesday Communication, writing, art, creativity, mental activities Mercury Gemini, Virgo Air Yellow, grey and mixed hues Mercury, Hermes Thursday Intentions, abondance, goals, opportunities Jupiter Sagittarius, Pisces Fire Blue and purple Zeus and Thor Friday Love, friendship, emotions, beauty, sex Venus Libra, Taurus Air, Water Green, light blue, pink and copper Venus, Aphrodite Saturday Retribution, banishment, protection Saturn Capricorn Earth Black and dark shades Saturn, Hecate Sunday intent Sun Leo Fire Gold and orange Helios, Apollo, Lugh, and Bel https://ritualdust.com/folklore/planetary-magic/ Thu, 23 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/planetary-magic/ Table of contents Classical planets Modern planets Links and references The seven classical planets The Sun ☉ Representative of the ego, the self, the identity. Strong and powerful. The modern symbol of the sun, the circumpunct, was first used during the Renaissance, it represents Apollo’s golden shield with a boss. The older medieval symbol (and alchemical symbol of gold) was a disk with a ray 🜚. In alchemy, the sun is the supreme light, the cyclical nature of the process and is associated with the conscious, energy and the ego. https://ritualdust.com/folklore/research/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/research/ Where I keep my references for folklore, ancestry and magic research Table of contents Folklore Ancestry Magic Folklore A website dedicated to the irish bones ancient instrument The collections of the Worcester museum The Met museum Museum of Ireland Gallica - a library of old books, manuscripts and documents The Public domain review Pictures and engravings from old books A blog on medieval woodworking A collection of horror stories in the public domain An archive of old irish documents and photographs An in-depth article about polish painted cottages A great video on wassailing The Spirit Photographs of William Hope A website on the occult sides and folkore of Paris Irish traditionnal music archive The English collections at the Pitt rivers musem London Burial Grounds Special collections of the St-Andrews University Plant lore, legends and lyrics Collection of standing stone photos A website on mudlarking on the shores of the Thames A website on misericord carvings An archive of paintings of megalithic sites Place names in reland The Beast of the Gévaudan Early Celtic art Mythical Ireland Celtic sun worship A Medieval bestiary complete guide to heraldry Website on megaliths of Ireland Ancestry Roots deeper than whiteness Magic and alchemy A very deep website on alchemichal symbolism Ambix, a publication on alchemy The Order of bards, ovates and druids An old pagan network Independent publisher of occult books Hermetic library The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic The internet sacred text archive Putressence, hermal alchemy for death rituals https://ritualdust.com/folklore/sigils/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/sigils/ Table of contents What are sigils Austin Osman Spare Intuitive Sigils Word Method Rose Cross Method Planetary Square Method My own sigil work Links and References What are sigils A sigil, in it’s simplest form is a type of symbol used in a magical or ritual practice. The term sigil derives from the Latin sigillum, meaning “seal” which becomes clear when looking at the seals in the Key of Solomon for example. https://ritualdust.com/folklore/wyrd-terms/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://ritualdust.com/folklore/wyrd-terms/ Here is my ever-growing collection of wyrd terms collected online, in books and in conversations. Getting familiar with these concepts and integrating these words in my vocabulary is part of my commitment to re-enchantment. ANTHROPODERMIC BIBLIOPEGY; The practice of binding books in human skin. APOTROPAIC; Intended or having powers to ward off evil. ARBORGLYPH; The carving of shapes and symbols in the bark of living trees. TO DITHER; To tremble of shiver with cold (provincialism from Yorkshire).